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Ceuta border surge
Spain condemned the "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction of some EU countries to the influx of about 60,000 migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, as Spain’s interior minister said the death toll had risen to at least 67.
“The "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction of some EU countries”
Italy temporarily suspended the EU’s border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain, while Finland and Denmark backed Italy’s move and Czech PM Andrej Babiš urged a temporary suspension of Spain’s Schengen membership.
NPR reported that Spain announced it was installing a 500-meter-long containment barrier along the breakwater fence into the sea after about 60,000 migrants breached Ceuta’s frontier between Thursday and Friday.
AP said tens of thousands of migrants voluntarily left after crossing into Spain’s tiny Ceuta territory, with at least 57 migrants dying on the journey.
Ceuta’s president Juan Jesús Vivas said, "Life in this city has been disrupted as a result of the border incident," while adding that "The return of people has begun satisfactorily but the process must be completed".
EU splits and accusations
Ursula von der Leyen said the images from Ceuta were "unacceptable" and insisted, "We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules," as the crisis deepened a split within the EU.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged an urgent meeting to "reaffirm that the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all Member States," and he said other European governments had chosen to attack Spain "driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest."
The Hill reported that Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said the air and sea border controls would remain in place for August, and that the move temporarily suspended Spain’s Schengen border-free rights.
AP quoted Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas saying, "The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable," while also reporting that Rachid Sbihi described the episode as a "serious humanitarian crisis."
Al Jazeera framed the diplomatic fallout through questions about the mayhem, noting that Spain said most of the more than 50,000 migrants who stormed across its borders chose to voluntarily go back to Morocco.
What comes next
Spain said it would install a 1,600-foot containment fence on the aquatic border between Ceuta and neighboring Morocco after tens of thousands of migrants breached the enclave, and CBS reported that Spain’s Minister of the Interior said at least 67 people died.
“Spain said Saturday it will install a 1,600-foot containment fence”
The Hill said Italy’s suspension of Schengen with Spain would remain in place for August, while also quoting Giorgia Meloni calling it an "extraordinary measure" taken to safeguard national security.
AP reported that Spain deployed its armed forces and additional police to restore order in Ceuta, and that the Spanish Interior Ministry estimated that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco since Thursday, with 48,300 already returned by Friday evening.
EL PAÍS said the EU interior ministers would meet on Tuesday via videoconference to address the migratory crisis, and it reported that the installation of containment barriers on the Tarajal jetty had begun.
In Morocco, EL PAÍS reported that Morocco detained 70 people for violent incidents during the migratory crisis, with the charges tied to clashes in Castillejos where minority groups barricaded in the hills near the border crossing with Ceuta clashed with Moroccan security forces and set fire to several vehicles.
