EU split over migration after 60,000 cross into Ceuta; 22 leaders demand border crackdown
After 60,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, 22 EU leaders signed a letter calling for stronger external borders, while Spain accused some partners of 'selfish' reactions and Italy suspended Schengen rules.
The influx and the returns
Around 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Thursday and Friday, overwhelming a city of roughly 83,000 residents. Spain's interior ministry put the number returned to Morocco at about 37,500 as of mid-afternoon on Friday; by that evening EFE reported more than 53,000, and by Sunday the total had reached some 73,500. On Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the "vast majority" had gone back, and that no one had reached mainland Spain or any other EU country. She held a videoconference to assess the situation with Magnus Brunner, the commissioner for internal affairs and migration, and Dubravka Suica, the commissioner for the Mediterranean and for demography.
The good news is that the vast majority of those who arrived illegally have returned to Morocco, due to the effective work of Spanish and Moroccan law enforcement. Not a single person reached mainland Spain or the rest of the EU. This shows why the control of our European borders matters. We have a strong system in place. But it needs to be further strengthened.
- Around 60,000 migrants cross from Morocco into Ceuta
- Spanish interior ministry says 37,500 returned to Morocco
- 22 EU leaders sign letter demanding border crackdown; Italy suspends Schengen with Spain; von der Leyen confirms no migrant reached mainland EU
Two competing letters
The crisis exposed deep divisions. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, together with Denmark's Mette Frederiksen, initiated a letter signed by 22 EU leaders, including Germany's Friedrich Merz and Poland's Donald Tusk. The letter, addressed to the Irish presidency of the EU Council, António Costa and von der Leyen, called for an "immediate and coordinated European reaction" to prevent mass uncontrolled border crossings, improve deportation procedures, fight human trafficking and eliminate pull factors. It insisted that illegal entry must not become legal stay. Five member states did not sign: Spain, France, Ireland, Luxembourg and Portugal. Ireland abstained because it holds the rotating Council presidency and had to convene the meeting neutrally, and Spain sent a competing letter of its own. The letter also cited Spain's regularisation of some irregular migrants as a possible pull factor, which Madrid disputes.
We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sent his own letter to von der Leyen and Costa, criticising some EU partners for "selfish" and "illegal" reactions and for suggesting Spain's temporary exclusion from the Schengen area. He demanded an extraordinary meeting of interior ministers, a call von der Leyen welcomed.
- Signed letter
- 22
- Did not sign
- 5
Schengen under strain
Italy suspended Schengen rules with Spain, closing maritime and air borders for one month. Separately, Italy, Finland and Denmark floated suspending Schengen cooperation with Spain or excluding it from the area, a step the same reporting notes members cannot take unilaterally. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said it was absolutely out of the question that Spain should leave Schengen and described cooperation with Madrid as very, very good, while confirming France was reinforcing surveillance at its own Spanish border. Madrid dismissed the exclusion threats as "demagogic". Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares accused Italy of deliberate confusion, noting that nobody can travel from Ceuta or Melilla to the mainland without being identified. The two cities are Spanish territory under a special regime agreed on Spain's accession to Schengen, which maintains identity checks on departures to the peninsula. Madrid also argues that, on Frontex data, Spain is among the member states that best protect the EU's external border.
Von der Leyen's response
Von der Leyen said the EU's system must be strengthened and called for a lessons-learned process to improve European resilience. She welcomed the call for an extraordinary videoconference of interior ministers. "The fight against illegal migration requires solidarity and a united European response," she wrote. Meloni echoed that sentiment, stating that defending external borders is a shared responsibility.
The images coming from Ceuta are shocking and show once again that uncontrolled illegal immigration represents a real threat to the security of Europe's borders.
Human cost
The government delegate in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, put the death toll at 72 on Sunday, up from 67 the previous day. The dead include people who drowned swimming across and others killed in the crush at the Tarajal breakwater. Bodies were still being recovered at sea, Spanish officials expect the figure to rise, and some outlets report estimates above 100. The enclave, home to 83,000, saw its population nearly double in two days before the returns began. The rapid influx and the subsequent political fallout have laid bare the persistent tensions within the bloc over migration policy.
