At least 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in recent days, triggering a severe humanitarian crisis, a European Commission warning, and international calls for action. <\/p>\n
Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, is facing a severe migration crisis as at least 60,000 migrants have crossed from Morocco into the territory in recent days, according to Spanish authorities. This figure represents over half of Ceuta’s population of approximately 85,000 residents. In the past 24 hours alone, despite a heavy military and Civil Guard presence on the Spanish side of the border crossing, 49,000 people entered Spain by sea and land. However, the government reported late Friday morning that 25,000 of them have already returned to Morocco.<\/p>\n
Preliminary information indicates that at least 34 people lost their lives while attempting to reach Spain. Most of the migrants drowned while trying to swim to the coast, while some victims died as a result of panic and crushing on the Tarajal breakwater, located at the main border crossing connecting Morocco to Spanish Ceuta.<\/p>\n
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez traveled to Ceuta to witness the development of the crisis firsthand. Upon the arrival of the immigrants, he termed the influx an “attack on the territorial integrity of Spain” and pointed out that the cause of this “avalanche” is an “selfish interpretation” of a Supreme Court ruling made by “human trafficking mafias.”<\/p>\n
The issue stems from a Spanish Supreme Court ruling earlier this month stating that migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in northern Morocco, cannot be deported under the special border closure regime applicable to these enclaves.<\/p>\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the situation, emphasizing that the “images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable.”<\/p>\n
“We cannot allow anyone to arrive in our Union without respecting our rules. Dangerous border crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, in accordance with our rules,” she wrote.<\/p>\n
The EC President also announced that European Union Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner and European Union Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka \u0160uica have been dispatched by the Commission to support Spain. “I am convinced that our close cooperation with Morocco will help achieve concrete results,” von der Leyen added.<\/p>\n
Brunner reported on the X platform that he is in constant contact with authorities in Madrid, including Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. He explained that the EU is ready to increase support for Spain, including through Frontex, to contain the situation. “We are also continuing talks with the Moroccan authorities to ensure all necessary actions are taken to prevent these dangerous journeys,” he added.<\/p>\n
“Protecting the Union’s external borders is a key element of our efforts to combat illegal migration,” Brunner stated.<\/p>\n
Italian politicians are demanding Spain’s exclusion from the Schengen area. “The images coming from Ceuta are shocking and show once again that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a real threat to the security of Europe’s borders,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X.<\/p>\n
She emphasized that her government is ready to take extraordinary measures to “defend borders and the safety of citizens.” The head of the Italian government, together with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, called for the suspension of the Schengen Agreement or the exclusion of Spain from the free movement area.<\/p>\n
Although Italy’s initial reaction was isolated, as further reports from Ceuta emerged, Meloni’s coalition grew. Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen expressed support on Friday for excluding Spain from the Schengen area.<\/p>\n
“Spain has completely failed to protect the external border of the Schengen area against illegal migration. This cannot go on forever. All European countries must support Meloni’s proposal. Countries that fail to fulfill their obligation to protect their external borders cannot be members of the Schengen area,” Rantanen wrote on the X portal.<\/p>\n
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also assessed that the EU should consider all options regarding the massive influx of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta, including excluding Spain from the Schengen Agreement. “It is obvious that the EU must immediately take all necessary steps and consider all possibilities, including the suspension of Schengen cooperation,” she stated. Frederiksen emphasized that uncontrolled migration poses a “threat” to Europe and Denmark and that it is necessary to maintain control over the EU’s external borders.<\/p>\n
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stressed on Friday that the Spanish authorities must “regain control of the situation” in Ceuta, while also assuring that the government in Stockholm is ready to take further steps if the situation deteriorates. “It is important that Spain takes immediate action to regain control of the situation and fulfill its obligations under Schengen cooperation,” Kristersson stated.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Laurent Nu\u00f1ez announced on Friday that controls at the borders with Spain will be reinforced, though he did not endorse the proposals put forward by Meloni and other governments. “Given the situation observed in the Ceuta enclave, since yesterday evening I have given orders to immediately strengthen controls at the border with Spain. Furthermore, I have deployed the Border Rapid Intervention Force to carry out thorough checks,” Nu\u00f1ez wrote.<\/p>\n
Importantly, the Schengen Borders Code does not provide for the exclusion or expulsion of a specific country. However, it is possible to reintroduce controls at internal borders as a result of a security threat.<\/p>\n
The Schengen area is one of the pillars of the European Union, having abolished barriers between countries primarily regarding freedom of movement. Its rules lift internal border controls while harmonizing and strengthening external border security, establishing the principle that once inside Schengen, a person can travel between member states without border checks.<\/p>\n
However, the Schengen Borders Code allows member states to temporarily reintroduce border controls on all or selected state borders in the event of a serious threat to public policy or internal security.<\/p>\n
Reinstating border controls is a measure of last resort and must be proportional to the threat, with its duration dependent on the reason for introduction. Temporary border controls are currently implemented by nine Schengen countries, including France, Poland, Germany, and Italy.<\/p>\n
The reasons cited by nations for restoring border controls vary, though most relate to illegal migration. For instance, Austria cites ongoing internal security threats from illegal migration along the Balkan route, while Norway points to threats against the energy sector and sabotage risks from Russian intelligence.<\/p>\n
Italy indicates the threat of terrorist infiltration via the Western Balkan route, while France raises the issue of terrorism, ongoing jihadist threats, rising anti-Semitic attacks, and expanding criminal networks facilitating illegal migration and smuggling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At least 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in recent days, triggering a severe humanitarian crisis, a European Commission warning, and international calls for action. Mass Migration Crisis in Ceuta Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, is facing a severe migration crisis as at least 60,000 migrants have crossed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-defense-and-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17795\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bizonews.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}