Spain answers Italy: 'We will also check your passports'

Spain announced border checks on flights and ships from Italy, in response to Italy's suspension of the Schengen Agreement amid the migrant crisis in Ceuta. 72,000 crossed from Morocco to the enclave, 70,000 returned, hundreds of children remain without food and water. Italy refuses to yield to ultimatums.

The diplomatic conflict between Spain and Italy continues: the Spanish government announced last night that it will impose border checks on flights and ships arriving from Italy, starting at midnight on Saturday night until September 7. The move is a countermeasure to Italy's decision to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain, amid the migrant crisis in Ceuta, where 72,000 people crossed from Morocco to the enclave at the end of July. According to the Interior Ministry in Madrid, passport, visa, and nationality checks will be conducted on Italian passengers and visitors from other countries arriving from Italy. Italy refuses to yield to "ultimatums or dictates" and will continue border checks until at least August 15. Of the 72,000 migrants who arrived in Ceuta, 70,000 have already returned to Morocco, but hundreds of children remain without food and water. Human rights organizations in Morocco estimated that at least 141 people died last week attempting to reach Ceuta. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the step as an "extraordinary measure" to safeguard national security.

Spain answers Italy: 'We will also check your passports'