Chaos in Ceuta: over 60,000 migrants crossed the border, 57 dead

Around 60,000 migrants crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta within a 24-hour period, which began on Thursday. The small territory with a population of 83,000 found itself overwhelmed by the influx of people, which triggered a humanitarian crisis - according to Spanish authorities, at least 57 people have died.

The unprecedented border breach - the largest in Ceuta's history - forced Spain to mobilize the army, sparked a diplomatic scandal across Europe, and led to a threat from Italy to suspend the Schengen Agreement on free movement with Spain. By noon on Friday, more than 48,300 migrants had voluntarily returned to Morocco, reported the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.

Chaos at the border

Many of the deceased drowned while attempting to swim across the strait from the Moroccan city of Fnideq, while others were crushed in the stampede in front of the fence near the border crossing at Tarajal beach. Moroccan security forces used water cannons, tear gas, and batons to prevent further attempts to cross the border, and the burnt remains of a bus and seven cars bore witness to the clashes on the Moroccan side.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday, characterizing the mass border crossing as a "violation of Spain's territorial integrity." He assigned responsibility to human trafficking networks that took advantage of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling from June 29, which prohibited authorities from immediately deporting migrants arriving by sea. "It seems that the interpretation of this Supreme Court ruling spread like wildfire over the last few hours among the networks of human trafficking organizations," stated Sánchez.

The President of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, described the situation as "absolutely unacceptable" - reception centers are overcrowded, and thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, are sleeping directly on the sidewalks.

Consequences for Europe

The crisis triggered a wave of shocks across Europe. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the country is prepared "to intervene with emergency measures to protect borders and the security of citizens, including suspending the implementation of the Schengen Agreement with Spain." Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described the Spanish amnesty program, which grants citizenship to hundreds of thousands of migrants, as "deeply wrong and encouraging human trafficking." In response, Spain summoned the Italian ambassador - the head of the Spanish Foreign Ministry, José Manuel Albares, called Tajani's remarks "inappropriate" and demanded "solidarity, not partisan demagoguery."

France activated rapid response forces at the border and tightened controls in the direction of Spain. U.S. President Donald Trump took advantage of the crisis during a cabinet meeting, stating that what is happening "looks like an invasion of the country" and warned that something similar could happen in America "if Republicans do not come to power."

A quick but tragic turn

Despite the political storm, by noon on Friday, the crisis was clearly already rapidly subsiding. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported that migrants were returning to Morocco at a rate of about 150 people per minute - many of them explaining this by the lack of food, shelter, and any prospects in the overcrowded enclave. Abdellah Bouji, a 21-year-old from Tetouan, told the Associated Press: "I didn't find any opportunities here either, so I will have to go back."

European Commissioner Magnus Brunner emphasized that border control regarding persons leaving Ceuta continues to be applied: "there is no further crossing" toward continental Europe.