Thousands of migrants on Thursday stormed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa amid warnings that border control has “totally collapsed”.

Mobs climbed over a border fence or swam to the shores of Ceuta. The reason behind the sudden surge in migrant arrivals was not immediately clear.

A Ceuta official told The New York Times that the working estimate suggests that tens of thousands have entered the exclave illegally in the ongoing wave.

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The situation is “absolute chaos”, and border control has “totally collapsed”, Rachid Sbihi, chief of the Spanish Civil Guard Association, told The Associated Press.

The Ceuta administration has asked the Spanish federal government to declare a national emergency on national security grounds and has sought the deployment of additional police and troops “to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety”. The Spanish government said it was dispatching military to strengthen border security, increasing air and naval support, and sending divers to patrol the waters, but stopped short of declaring an emergency.

Thousands of migrants have streamed into the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa from Morocco, prompting local officials to call for help from Spain’s national government in Madrid to restore the border. pic.twitter.com/S2fTWapBzR

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 30, 2026

As Spain has long been the main point of entry for illegal immigrants into Europe, a major influx into the country is likely to raise tensions in neighbouring countries, particularly at a time when far-right forces are gaining strength across the continent.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has proposed extraordinary measures, including the suspension of the Schengen Area agreement with Spain, in response to the crisis.

Meloni said that visuals from Ceuta serve as “striking evidence that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a real threat to the security of Europe’s borders”.

🚨 BREAKING UPDATE: Spain’s Civil Guard chief declares the border has “TOTALLY COLLAPSED,” per @BillMelugin_

THOUSANDS of military-aged African men have poured over the border in the past several hours.

This is because Spain just gave AMNESTY to illegals. All amnesty does is… pic.twitter.com/1uR9dZGXaT

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 30, 2026STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Meloni further said, “I have spoken with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi. Italy will not stand by and watch. We are convening the relevant bodies, and following these meetings, we are prepared to intervene with extraordinary measures to defend the borders and the safety of citizens, including the suspension of the Schengen Area with Spain.

“On illegal immigration, we will not yield an inch: defending the borders, stopping human traffickers, and ensuring effective repatriations will continue to be the line of this Government.”