More than 49,000 people are estimated to have crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta within 24 hours, the Spanish Department of National Security stated on its website, citing the Interior Ministry. The statement was later deleted without explanation.
At least 27 people died while attempting the journey across the sea, Spanish authorities said. Thousands reached the territory by swimming around the Tarajal breakwater, climbing the border fence or crossing on foot.
The scale of the arrivals has placed Spain under pressure and triggered responses across Europe. The Spanish government has deployed military units and police reinforcements to Ceuta, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez travelled to the enclave on Friday alongside Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska to meet security officials and regional authorities.
Ceuta, together with the Spanish enclave of Melilla, forms the European Union’s only land border with Africa. The city has about 85,000 residents. The latest arrivals amount to more than half of its population.
Spanish officials said the largest wave entered on Thursday. Video footage from the border showed hundreds of people swimming towards the coast, many using inflatable rings, while others climbed or forced their way through sections of the frontier fence.
Moroccan authorities also reinforced security on their side of the border. Reuters reported that police deployed water cannon to push crowds back from crossing points. Burnt vehicles, including a bus, remained at the scene after clashes between security forces and groups attempting to reach the border.
The Spanish government said military personnel had joined local police to restore control. Border surveillance has also been strengthened along the frontier.
Local authorities described the situation as beyond the city’s capacity.
Juan Jesús Vivas, the president of Ceuta, called for a state of emergency and said the territory no longer had room to accommodate additional arrivals. Large numbers of people spent the night in parks, public spaces and other open areas, according to Spanish newspaper El País.
The latest figures exceed those recorded during the Ceuta border crisis of 2021, when around 10,000 people reached the enclave over several days.
Smaller numbers also entered Melilla. El País reported that between 300 and 400 people reached the neighbouring Spanish territory during the latest surge.
Spanish authorities have not identified a single cause behind the sudden movement.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares linked the increase to a recent ruling by the country’s Supreme Court, which limited the use of immediate returns for migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla. Government officials argued that criminal networks were exploiting the legal decision to encourage crossings.
Spain rejected claims that the surge resulted from its recent programme to regularise the status of around 500,000 undocumented migrants already living in the country.
The programme has attracted political criticism from opposition parties and some European leaders, who argue it risks encouraging further irregular migration.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the scenes in Ceuta “shocking” and said they demonstrated that uncontrolled illegal migration posed a threat to Europe’s external borders.
She said Italy was prepared to support extraordinary measures, including suspending Spain’s participation in the Schengen free movement area until border control was restored.
Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen backed Meloni’s proposal in a post on X. Rantanen said Europe should support suspending Spain from the Schengen area if it failed to secure its external border.
She described Spain’s migration policy as “a complete failure” and said the situation at the southern border affected the entire European Union.
France also announced immediate action.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said he had ordered stronger controls along the French-Spanish border and activated France’s Rapid Intervention Border Force for additional checks.
Writing on X, Nuñez said the measures were introduced in response to developments in Ceuta.
Albares rejected criticism from Italy and described the comments as partisan. He linked the border surge to the Supreme Court ruling rather than Spain’s regularisation programme.
On the Moroccan side of the frontier, authorities attempted to halt further crossings as thousands gathered near the border.
Spanish authorities have stated that people who entered illegally will be returned as quickly as possible, despite the recent court ruling that restricted immediate expulsions in some circumstances.
HT