A sudden arrival of tens of thousands overwhelmed Ceuta, authorities say, and Spain is urging EU ministers to convene an emergency meeting to coordinate response.

Ceuta, Spain, August 1 – Spain said that migrant crossings to its African enclave Ceuta slowed to a halt overnight as police began installing a 500-meter floating barrier near the border with Morocco after a mass influx that killed at least 67 people.

According to Spanish authorities, about 50,000 people have crossed into Ceuta by land or sea since Thursday – an unprecedented surge at one of the EU’s outermost borders with Africa. Most of them – more than 48,000 – returned to Morocco within 48 hours without major incidents.

On Saturday, reports documented Spanish soldiers and police patrolling the almost-empty Tarajal beach, which was shrouded in fog.

The Civil Guard began placing a new barrier at 7:50 a.m. local time (05:50 GMT) on the Tarajal breakwater – one of the main entry points to the tiny Spanish territorial entity, the government said.

The pneumatic barrier, along with a line of attached buoys, stands 30 to 70 centimeters above the water and extends up to one meter below the surface; a channel for Civil Guard patrol ships will remain between the barriers, the authorities added.

At least 67 bodies were found on the Spanish side at the border; some migrants died trying to scale the breakwater and fence, others died during the crossing. Many of them were forced to migrate due to economic hardship and rumors on social media.

Government Calls for an Emergency EU Summit

Ceuta and other border enclaves of Spain on the north coast of Morocco are again facing crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe.

The latest attempt sparked disagreements within the EU: several countries urged Spain to ensure control over the situation.

Twenty-two EU governments called for an emergency gathering of interior ministers to discuss the crisis in Ceuta and help Madrid restore control over the border with Morocco.

Meanwhile, Spain’s center-left Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also urged EU leaders to convene interior ministers urgently, but criticized governments that called for Spain’s exclusion from the Schengen area.

The center-right government of Italy said on Friday that it would suspend Schengen agreements with Spain for a month.

In the current international context, the EU cannot allow such a selfish, polarizing and illegal reaction.

– Sanchez

In a letter from EU governments to Ireland, which leads the bloc’s rotating presidency, the countries said the crossings test the EU’s external border and risk encouraging further illegal migration.

They called for a coordinated response, including possible additional support from the EU border agency Frontex and a review of cooperation with Morocco. France, Luxembourg and Portugal did not sign the letter, along with Spain and Ireland.

Pressure on the Schengen Zone

Madrid said that individuals who entered Ceuta illegally will not be able to proceed to the mainland of Spain or to other Schengen-area countries.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry added that travelers leaving Ceuta by sea or air undergo identity checks by the police – the second level of control after the land border with Morocco.

Unlike many European countries, Spain has taken a more open stance toward migrants and has implemented a program to grant residency to over half a million undocumented migrants.

However, Spain rejected the claim that the legalization scheme spurs a surge into Ceuta, saying that applicants must prove residence in Spain by January 1, 2026 and five full months of residence at the time of application.

Pedro Sanchez, who visited Ceuta on Friday, called the crossings a violation of Spain’s sovereignty and said that returns would be accelerated with Morocco’s involvement.