Nearly 50,000 migrants in one day: Ceuta crisis spreads from Spain to rest of Europe

Spain's Interior Ministry estimates that about 49,000 migrants entered the Ceuta enclave within 24 hours after crossing the border from Morocco. At least 18 people were killed in crossing attempts. The city's president declared a humanitarian emergency, and Spain's government mobilized the army. France reinforced its border, and Italy threatened to suspend Schengen. The European Union offered assistance.

Spain's Interior Ministry estimates that about 49,000 migrants entered the Ceuta enclave in North Africa within 24 hours, after crossing the border from Morocco by land and sea. According to Reuters, this number is equivalent to more than half of Ceuta's population and is an unprecedented event, several times larger than previous migration crises in the city. Thousands of people climbed the border fence, broke through crossings, or swam around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach. Among those entering were Moroccan citizens and migrants from sub-Saharan African countries, including women, children, and families. According to the AP news agency, at least 18 people died during crossing attempts – some by drowning and others due to the crush near the border. Many migrants, including minors who arrived without their parents, were left without accommodation and spent the night on the streets, in parks, and on sidewalks. The migration wave overwhelmed Ceuta's reception, welfare, and security systems within hours. The city's president, Juan Jesús Vivas, described the situation as a "humanitarian and social emergency" and warned that local authorities cannot cope with the crisis alone. He called on Spain's government to declare a national emergency, but Madrid rejected the request, arguing that a migration wave does not meet the legal definition justifying such a declaration. In response, Spain's government mobilized the army to reinforce the Civil Guard and police in Ceuta. Ground forces were deployed along the border, along with increased maritime and aerial patrols and dive teams that began searching for missing persons and rescuing people from the sea. According to Reuters, Morocco also reinforced its security forces on its side of the fence in an attempt to prevent further infiltration waves. But even the reinforcement did not stop attempts to cross the border. During the night, thousands more people gathered in the nearby Moroccan town of Fnideq, and some tried to bypass the barriers through the mountainous area. According to Reuters, clashes with Moroccan security forces developed there, vehicles, including a bus, were set on fire, and dangerous crush situations occurred in several places. It is still unclear what led tens of thousands of people to move toward Ceuta almost simultaneously. One assessment in Spain links the event to the Supreme Court ruling from early July, which stated that migrants caught at sea cannot be immediately returned to Morocco without a legal process. Madrid believes that smuggling networks presented the ruling as an opportunity to enter Spanish territory. Other assessments attribute the migration wave to high youth unemployment in Morocco and to Spain's government plan to regularize the status of hundreds of thousands of migrants already living in the country. The crisis quickly spread to the European arena. France announced increased security and checks at its border with Spain, fearing that some migrants would continue north. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he had ordered an immediate reinforcement of forces and checks along the border. Italy's reaction was even harsher. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the migration wave as a "threat to Europe's security" and raised the possibility of temporarily suspending Schengen arrangements with Spain. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani accused Pedro Sánchez's government of encouraging illegal immigration and indirectly aiding smuggling networks. In contrast, Madrid was furious and summoned Italy's ambassador for talks. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described the statements as "inappropriate" and accused Italy's government of political demagoguery instead of showing solidarity with Spain. Thus, the Ceuta crisis turned from a humanitarian and security crisis into a diplomatic confrontation between two major EU member states. The European Commission also stepped in and offered Spain operational, financial, and technical assistance. According to El País, Brussels offered to reinforce Frontex, the European border agency, and provide additional means for border surveillance with Morocco. EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, stressed that protecting Europe's external borders is a shared responsibility and that the EU is in contact with Morocco to try to stem further entries. The current event is significantly larger than the 2021 Ceuta crisis, when about 8,000 migrants entered the city in two days following the diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco. Now, with nearly 50,000 migrants in one day, hundreds of unaccompanied minors, tens of thousands more waiting near the border, and sharp reactions from European countries, the crisis seems to have long outgrown Ceuta's borders and is becoming one of the biggest migration and security tests facing the European Union in recent years.