Spain has begun installing a 500-metre floating barrier off the coast of its North African enclave of Ceuta after a mass influx of migrants left at least 67 people dead and triggered a political debate across the European Union over border security and migration policy.

Spanish authorities said
migrant crossings into Ceuta had stopped overnight, with soldiers and police patrolling the largely deserted Tarajal beach on Saturday.

Officials said around
50,000 people crossed into the enclave by land and sea from Thursday in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.

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According to the Spanish government, more than 48,000 migrants returned to Morocco within 48 hours without major incidents, while security forces continued to monitor the border to prevent fresh crossings.

Spain strengthens border security

Civil Guard officers began installing the floating barrier on Saturday morning along the Tarajal breakwater, one of the main entry points used by migrants attempting to reach Ceuta.

The government said the pneumatic barrier, supported by anchored naval buoys, will rise between 30 and 70 centimetres above the water while extending up to one metre below the surface. A navigation channel has also been created to allow Civil Guard patrol boats to operate in the area.

According to Reuters, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the authorities had largely regained control of the situation within 24 hours but stressed that additional police and military personnel would remain deployed until officials were certain the crisis had ended.

He also described Morocco as a “fully reliable partner” and said there had been no prior intelligence suggesting such a large-scale migrant movement was imminent.

Dozens killed during crossing

Officials said at least 67 bodies have been recovered on the Spanish side of the border.

Many migrants drowned while attempting to swim to Ceuta, while others were crushed as crowds tried to climb the breakwater and border fence. Authorities said economic hardship and misleading information circulating on social media encouraged many people to attempt the dangerous crossing.

Grande-Marlaska also blamed human-smuggling networks for exploiting vulnerable migrants. He accused traffickers of spreading false interpretations of a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling concerning migrants intercepted at sea, encouraging more people to attempt the journey.

EU divided over response

The crisis has sparked divisions within the European Union over how to respond.

Twenty-two EU member states have called for an emergency meeting of interior ministers, arguing that the events in Ceuta represent a challenge to the bloc’s external border and could encourage further irregular migration. They also called for additional support from the EU border agency Frontex and a review of cooperation with Morocco.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also urged EU leaders to convene emergency talks but criticised governments that had suggested suspending Spain from the Schengen passport-free travel area.

Italy announced a
one-month suspension of Schengen arrangements with Spain, prompting Sanchez to describe the move as “selfish, polarising and unlawful.”

Madrid has stressed that migrants who entered Ceuta cannot freely travel to mainland Spain or other Schengen countries. Authorities said all travellers leaving the enclave by air or sea are subject to police identity checks, creating a second layer of border control.