Spain sends troops as thousands cross into Ceuta from Morocco

Spain is sending armed forces to its North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants swam from Morocco on Thursday, triggering a mass crossing that overwhelmed border controls and left at least 15 people drowned. The interior ministry said troops would reinforce the Civil Guard to maintain security in the city, following an urgent appeal from local authorities.

Border collapse and human toll

Thursday's surge came after days of rising attempts. Crowds slid down concrete embankments into the sea and swam around the jetty demarcating the border, while Spanish beaches were soon littered with rubber rings and flippers. Although some arrivals celebrated, more than a dozen lost their lives. One Spanish official described the border as being in total collapse, and Spanish media estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 people entered the territory.

The interior ministry accused human trafficking networks of exploiting a recent ruling by Spain's Supreme Court, which said migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco. That ruling, issued this month, appears to have been used as an incentive for undocumented migration.

Municipal leaders demand action

Ceuta's leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, said the influx had overwhelmed local resources and urged the central government to intervene. Migrant reception centres are saturated, and local officials have condemned Madrid for being too slow to respond. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to travel to Ceuta on Friday, promising to restore normality immediately.

Diplomatic friction with Italy

The scenes also sparked a political row with Italy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced she was considering extraordinary measures, including suspending the open-border Schengen agreement with Spain. She said the images from Ceuta were striking and demonstrated that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to Europe's borders. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made similar comments earlier in the day.

Spain's foreign minister, José Luis Albares, rebuffed the criticism, accusing Italy of weaponising immigration for political ends. He described such remarks as improper from a partner country and called instead for European solidarity rather than partisan demagoguery. The Schengen Area comprises 29 countries that have abolished checks at common borders.

Unanswered questions and outlook

Ceuta, on Morocco's northern coast, has long been a focal point for migrants seeking to reach Europe. It remains unclear what drove Thursday's sudden surge or how efforts by Moroccan authorities to prevent it. Late in the day, unconfirmed reports described clashes near the border in the Moroccan town of Fnideq, with police deploying water cannons.

The crisis now places Sánchez's government under immediate pressure to restore order, while the deeper challenges of migration policy and European cooperation remain unresolved. Italy's threat to suspend Schengen highlights growing tensions within the bloc, even as Spain insists on a united response. The coming days will test whether this was an anomaly or the start of a new migration wave.