Spain and Italy trade border controls as migration dispute escalates through August

Diplomatic standoff

The dispute between Spain and Italy began after mass migrant arrivals in Ceuta on July 30 and 31, prompting Italian PM Giorgia Meloni to suspend Schengen free movement for passengers from Spain. Italian FM Antonio Tajani said on Monday that the controls would remain at least until August 15, linking the situation to possible terrorism risks. He also attacked Spain's migration policy, arguing that Spain had not monitored its borders properly and that its regularization of a million immigrants sent a negative message that puts security at risk.

We cannot underestimate the risks, which is why until August 15 Italy will not be able to change its decision to suspend Schengen. Afterwards, when everything returns to normal, we are ready to resume the previous situation.

Tajani accused Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez of exaggerating: "It is Sánchez who has dramatized," and called Spain's reciprocal measures "incomprehensible and completely unacceptable" in an interview with La Stampa.

Spain's reciprocal controls

Spain responded by deploying random identity checks on passengers arriving from Italy, starting at midnight on Saturday August 8. By noon on Monday August 10, the National Police had checked 1,033 travelers from third countries on 58 flights, using 109 officers. Checks target 15 to 20 passengers per flight and focus on non-EU citizens. Barcelona's El Prat airport saw the highest volume with 552 travelers checked on 18 flights, followed by Madrid Barajas with 223 on 5 flights. Other airports included Valencia (65 travelers, 3 flights), Alicante (61, 14 flights), Sevilla (49, 8 flights), Málaga (43, 5 flights) and Bilbao (40, 5 flights).

Spanish FM José Manuel Albares urged Italy to reverse course: "We invite the Italian government to reverse course." The Spanish controls are scheduled to continue until September 7. At Madrid's Barajas airport, passengers arriving from Italy expressed bewilderment at being stopped for document checks within the Schengen area. Police were checking roughly one in ten travelers, and one passenger arriving from Rome reported a delay of over three hours and a missed holiday connection.

Migration data under dispute

The PSOE, Spain's governing party, cited Frontex data showing irregular EU entries fell 37% in the first half of 2026 to 49,000, after a 26% drop in 2025 to 178,000 across the 27 member states. In 2026, Spain has edged past Italy by about 500 arrivals (just over 17,000 versus 16,500), though in 2025 Italy registered more than 66,000 compared with Spain's 37,000. In 2022 and 2023, Italian arrivals tripled those of Spain. A critical episode occurred in September 2023 on Lampedusa, with more than 8,000 migrants arriving in three days, prompting the European Commission to implement a support plan.

Demographic and political dimensions

PSOE spokesperson Vicente Montávez noted that Italy is the EU's most aged country, with 652,000 deaths against 355,000 births in 2025 and a birth rate of 1.14 children per woman, meaning its population balance is negative and only offset by immigration. Meanwhile, Meloni and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen co-signed a letter rejecting "uncontrolled" migration and defending Europe's "Christian values."

No one can deny the negative consequences of illegal immigration in our societies: rising crime rates, growing pressure on public services and erosion of public trust.

Journalist Ignacio Cembrero, speaking from Italy, called the standoff a piece of political theatre and suggested Meloni's move was largely electoral, as she is losing many votes.

It's a little theatre, a play that we are not going to applaud, neither the Spanish actor nor the Italian one.

He also praised Italy's Interior Ministry for providing detailed daily information on migration, contrasting it with what he called the opacity of Spain's Interior Ministry. Brussels is seeking to mediate between the two governments.