On Thursday night (July 30), a rare and severe border crisis erupted in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave located in North Africa, where tens of thousands of people illegally crossed from Morocco by sea and land, resulting in at least 34 deaths. Faced with the sudden influx of migrants, several EU countries have called for a temporary halt to the open Schengen area without borders.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior stated that around 50,000 people had entered since Thursday, but by Friday, half of them (approximately 25,000 people) had voluntarily returned to Morocco. Leaders in Ceuta estimated that 60,000 people had entered the enclave in the past few days.
The massive crowds crossing the checkpoints led to a breach of the border, with some people drowning while swimming across or being trampled to death while rushing through the fence at Tarajal beach. The influx of migrants overwhelmed reception centers, forcing many to sleep on the streets.
Juan Jesús Vivas, President of the Ceuta Autonomous Government, condemned the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis” and urged the central government to declare a state of emergency and send troops to defend the border.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rushed to Ceuta to oversee the situation, strongly condemning the large-scale border crossings as “an infringement on the territorial integrity of Spain” and promising to use national resources to ensure security and quickly repatriate illegal immigrants.
This crisis quickly shook and put Europe on high alert, with leaders of various countries calling for extreme measures.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen both urged the EU to consider suspending Spain’s Schengen membership and are convening a meeting of European leaders to discuss the situation.
Finnish Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen supported the suspension of Spain’s Schengen membership, emphasizing that countries failing to protect their external borders should not remain in the continental borderless area; Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also urged Spain to fulfill its Schengen commitments.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Spain must regain control of the situation promptly and expressed hope that Morocco swiftly takes back the migrants.
French Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez has instructed to strengthen checks at the French-Spanish border and activate rapid intervention border forces.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, emphasized that no one would be allowed to enter the EU without following the rules.
(Reference: Reuters and Associated Press reports)