Spain slams 'selfish' EU response to Ceuta migrant crisis

Spain has condemned some EU countries' reaction to about 60,000 migrants from Morocco to Ceuta, calling it "selfish, polarising and unlawful."

"The European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction," Sanchez said in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The letter came after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the scenes in Ceuta "shocking" and suspended the EU's border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain for one month.  Finland and Denmark backed Italy's move, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called for Spain's own Schengen membership to be temporarily suspended.

Sanchez said his government had fully restored control over the border and prevented any unauthorised movement towards mainland Europe within 48 hours.

This comes after about 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco within 24 hours, according to the territory’s president, who said at least 34 people died during the crossing.

The influx followed a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish enclave in North Africa, could not be immediately returned to Morocco.

He added that while most European governments had shown solidarity, others had attacked Spain and pointed out that Ceuta itself is not part of the Schengen area, calling for an urgent meeting of EU interior ministers to reaffirm that securing external borders is a shared responsibility of all member states.

Separately, 22 of the EU's 27 member states signed an open letter expressing "serious concerns" about the situation and calling for emergency talks.

The letter welcomed cooperation between Spain and Morocco on the return of migrants but said a video conference of EU interior ministers would help them agree on mobilising support for Spain to restore effective control of the border.

Grande-Marlaska told a news conference on Saturday that the situation in Ceuta had almost returned to normal, with businesses reopened and nearly all migrants having left the enclave.

Spain has also begun setting up an inflatable maritime barrier to prevent further irregular crossings. However, DW correspondent Jan-Philipp Scholz reported ongoing tension on the ground on Saturday morning, describing clashes between police, military and migrants, as well as between locals and some migrants.

He said thousands of migrants remained in Ceuta and that Spanish authorities were becoming increasingly firm in efforts to move people away from beaches and overwhelmed reception centres, many of whom had received no food or water.

Scholz said locals in Ceuta were feeling "a mix of fear and anger", with many choosing to stay indoors since the crisis began.

France has tightened checks on its border with Spain and said it would increase its police presence there by Saturday, though French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Spain did not need to leave the Schengen area, describing cooperation with Madrid as strong.

Von der Leyen described the images from Ceuta as "unacceptable" and said the EU could not allow people to enter without following its rules.

In the United States, the State Department said the incident was a direct result of Spain's migration policies, while President Donald Trump described the situation as a "catastrophe" that looked like "an invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people.”

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he had spoken with Sanchez and that Britain was providing what help it could.

Sanchez, who visited Ceuta following the crossings, blamed trafficking gangs for the surge, describing the incident as a violation of Spain's territorial integrity.

He said trafficking networks misinterpreted a Supreme Court ruling, spreading it on social media. In June, Spain's Supreme Court ruled migrants intercepted at sea trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be summarily returned to Morocco without due process.

EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner stated that no migrants crossed onto mainland EU after a call with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

In 2021, about 8,000 people entered over a few days, straining relations between Spain and Morocco. Together with Melilla, Ceuta forms the EU's only land border with Africa, and migrants can enter by swimming several kilometres along the coast.

Morocco faced high unemployment and Gen Z protests last year, with youth demanding better jobs and public services.

Spain has recently adopted a relatively open approach to immigration. In April, it approved plans to grant legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants, enabling them to join the workforce. The Italian prime minister criticized this move, saying it would "affect its neighbours.”

In June, the European Parliament approved tougher migration rules giving authorities broader powers to return irregular arrivals.