Spain’s Sánchez blames trafficking gangs as estimated 60,000 migrants reach Ceuta – Europe live

Reading the US comments to the events in Ceuta, it’s worth keeping in mind that Spain’s Pedro Sánchez has long been the main target of Trump’s criticism in Europe.

The pair repeatedly clashed on a number of issues, including Israel/Palestine, Iran, Nato, and migration, with the US president regularly threatening with all sorts of trade and other sanctions against Madrid.

Some examples…

Local police sources in Ceuta told the El País newspaper that the death toll has gone up to 41.

US president Donald Trump struck a similar tone, telling Fox News that the pictures coming from Spain were “terrible.”

“It’s terrible. Remember that picture. That’s going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in,” he said, as reported by Fox News, referring to Democrats winning elections.

“If the Democrats get in, you will not live a very good life,” he told Fox News’s anchor Jacqui Heinrich who spoke with him earlier today.

US vice-president JD Vance responded to the crisis in Ceuta, saying the pictures coming from Spain were “an unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration and the radical left-wing globalist policies.”

Here is what he said in full:

“Thank God POTUS was elected and our country’s border no longer looks like this.

These images out of Spain are an unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration and the radical left-wing globalist policies that have enabled the Invasion of the West.”

EU’s migration commissioner Magnus Brunner has just responded to the crisis situation in Ceuta.

In a post on X, he called the situation “unacceptable” and said he’s in close contact with the Spanish authorities.

But he also confirmed the point I made earlier about the fact that there is no onwards route from Ceuta (14:02) given the enclave’s unique status under the Schengen rules.

“I reiterate that there are no onward movements towards the European continent or other member states. The Schengen Borders Code provides for special rules that apply to Ceuta and Melilla. Border checks on persons departing from Ceuta and Melilla remain in force.”

He also “welcomes the close cooperation between Spain and Morocco to manage the situation and ensure swift returns.”

“The commission will continue to work with the Spanish authorities on the effective use of the instruments available under the new Migration and Asylum rules and to provide additional support at EU level, including through our agencies,” he says.

Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen is the latest EU leader to urge the bloc to consider whether Spain should be suspended from the Schengen cooperation.

In a written statement, quoted by Berlingske, TV2 and DR, Frederiksen said that “the EU must immediately take all necessary steps and consider all options, including a suspension of Schengen cooperation” to avoid repeating the 2015 migration crisis.

“Uncontrolled immigration is a threat to Europe and Denmark,” she was quoted as saying.

• Some 60,000 people are locally estimated to have crossed into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in the last 24 hours, as part of an attempt to overwhelm the Spanish border (13:46).

• At least 41 people reportedly died during the surge.

• The migrants in Ceuta have no onwards route to the EU given the territory’s special status under the Schengen rules (14:02, 15:04).

• Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said the crossings violated Spain’s territorial integrity, as he blamed human trafficking gangs for wilfully misleading people about changes to Spain’s migration rules and triggering the border run (12:51, 12:54, 13:17).

• Some 25,000 people voluntarily returned to Morocco on Friday, the Spanish interior ministry said, as authorities pledged to crack down on illegal migration and expedite returns (12:57).

• The crisis prompted critical reactions from across the EU, with Italy leading the controversial calls to suspend Spain’s status in the Schengen area until the situation improves (9:42, 13:52).

• The EU has called the situation “unacceptable,” and insisted that “returns must be swift, as our rules allow,” pledging to help Spain deal with the crisis (13:25).

Belgium’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Maxime Prévot is one of the European leaders trying to strike a rather more helpful tone as he says that “when a member state … comes under pressure, it’s a European issue.”

In a post on X, he says:

“Belgium is monitoring the situation in Ceuta closely.

When a Member State situated at the external border comes under such pressure, it is a European issue, not purely a Spanish one.

At times like these, Spain must ensure that its borders are protected and be able to count on the involvement of both the European authorities and those of Morocco.

The protection of Europe’s external borders remains a priority for the Belgian government. Controlling the borders, taking a firmer stance towards illegal migrants and dismantling the business model of people-smugglers is not at odds with a humane approach: it is a prerequisite for it.

The Spanish authorities, with whom I have been in contact this morning, and the European Commission are taking the necessary measures to manage the situation, in coordination with Morocco, including return mechanisms for those who have crossed the border illegally, in addition to voluntary returns to Morocco, which appear to be already taking place.”

Some of the European reactions to this migration crisis in Ceuta – playing on voters’s concerns that the new arrivals would now be free to travel onwards within the EU – seem to ignore a fairly important caveat in Spain’s Schengen rules.

Under the 1990 deal on Spain joining the Schengen agreement, the two north African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are covered by a special regime, with Spain responsible for maintaining another round of border checks before travellers enter mainland Spain or any other EU country.

The relevant clauses say:

“Pursuant to its national law and in order to verify whether passengers still satisfy the conditions laid down in Article 5 of the 1990 Convention on the basis which they were authorised to enter national territory upon passport control at the external border, Spain shall maintain checks (on identity and documents) on sea and air connections departing from Ceuta and Melilla and having as their sole destination any other place on Spanish territory.

To the same end, Spain shall maintain checks on internal flights and on regular ferry connections departing from the towns of Ceuta and Melilla to a destination in another State party to the Convention.”

This obviously does not lessen the legal, political and humanitarian challenges facing Spain. The government in Madrid will need to decide how to respond to the tens of thousands of new arrivals in Ceuta, and will probably seek to facilitate their return to Morocco – either voluntarily or through legal channels – as the sheer scale of the influx makes it nearly impossible for them to remain in the enclave.

But despite the tone coming from the likes of France and Italy, this also does not mean new arrivals automatically are already within the Schengen area in the way most people – and voters – understand it.

Or to put it simply: the new arrivals do not get the right to travel freely to the rest of the EU – say, France, Germany or Italy – and would still have to face another border check before they can leave Ceuta for mainland Spain or any other part of the EU.

This is presumably why we have seen some unusually strong language from Spain’s foreign minister earlier today, angrily accusing Italy of trying to score political points on the back of their problems (9:42).

With France, Italy and Spain all set to have closely contested elections in 2027 in which migration is likely to feature heavily, it’s perhaps not surprising to see politicians get involved in that sort of politicised commentary as they feel domestic political pressures and need to respond to their voters’s fears.

But it’s worth keeping in mind that the legal situation is (as often) a bit more complex.

Spain’s interior ministry said around 25,000 migrants are believed to have returned from Ceuta to Morocco today as part of a Spanish effort to reverse last night’s migratory flows across the border.

If confirmed, that would be almost half of all those believed to have crossed, given that the latest estimates from local authorities put the figure at about 60,000 people (13:46).

But there are some obvious problems with offering detailed estimates offered during an ongoing emergency, so it is probably worth treating all of these numbers with some caution.

The EU’s former foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell Fontelles, dismissed calls to suspend Spain’s Schengen status, saying it’s impossible under the EU law.

In very pointed criticism of Italy’s request for such a suspension (9:42), the Spanish politician and former senior EU official stressed:

“Under EU law, no Member State can unilaterally suspend another’s participation in Schengen.”

He added:

“This is worth unpacking as it is quite revealing of how EU governments are learning to understand, talk, use and abuse the EU’s legal order in manifest breach of the principle of loyal cooperation that binds them.”

Speaking shortly after Sánchez, Ceuta’s regional president Juan Jesús Vivas also offered his take on the events of the last 24 hours.

He said that the latest estimates show that “around 60,000 people have entered our city” as part of the influx.

That’s almost two-thirds of the city’s ordinary population.

“Clearly, this figure demonstrates the impossibility of absorbing such pressure,” he said.

Furthermore, at least 34 people are believed to have died trying to cross into Ceuta, he said.

He urged the government to act “decisively and immediately” to respond to the challenge.