Ceuta overwhelmed by 60,000 migrants, the EU convenes an emergency meeting

In just a few days, approximately 60,000 migrants crossed the border between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, triggering an unprecedented crisis in this territory of 84,000 inhabitants. The European Union has convened an emergency meeting of its interior ministers for Tuesday.

From Wednesday to Friday, tens of thousands of people crossed the border separating Morocco from Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the African continent. Juan Jesus Vivas, the territory's top official, put the figure at 60,000 entries, while the Spanish Interior Ministry maintained the figure at 50,000. At least 72 people died during the crossing, making this the largest wave of migration ever recorded in the enclave.

Many swam from the Moroccan coast in wetsuits or using inflatable boats, bypassing border fences by sea. "I crossed across the sand at the beginning of Castillejos, then climbed over a wall manned by the Moroccan police. Then I swam across the border, about 200 meters in the sea, that's all," a Moroccan migrant told Reuters.

On Saturday, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced that "almost all" the migrants had left the country and that the situation had "practically returned to normal." The Spanish coast guard was still patrolling the waters near Ceuta on Sunday, with authorities stating that the majority of those who had entered had been returned to neighboring Morocco.

Ireland, which holds the rotating EU presidency, has convened an emergency videoconference of the 27 EU home ministers for Tuesday. This decision follows a joint letter signed by 22 member states calling for "coordinated action and the strengthening of external borders." "We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings […] to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible," they wrote.

Italy has suspended the application of the Schengen Agreement with Spain, a measure condemned by Madrid, although its practical impact remains limited since the two countries do not share a land border. France has announced a fivefold increase in its police presence at the Spanish border, while Portugal has stated its intention to strengthen controls at its southern land and sea borders. London and Paris have expressed their solidarity with Spain.

Manfred Weber, president of the European People's Party, called for Frontex, the European border control agency, to be given "real coercive powers." "If a left-wing government in Spain is not prepared to secure the external border, then Frontex must also be given command authority," he said on Saturday.

The causes of this sudden influx remain unclear. A July 8th ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court, prohibiting the summary return of migrants intercepted at sea, has been suggested as a possible factor. Journalist Ignacio Cembrero, a specialist in North African migration, believes it "played a role," while judging that it does not explain "the level of mobilization." Other experts doubt that the migrants were aware of this ruling and instead point to the relatively open migration policy of Pedro Sánchez's socialist government. Grande-Marlaska, for his part, has implicated smuggling networks that allegedly disseminated misleading interpretations of the court decision.

Observers suspect Morocco of having facilitated, or even orchestrated, the crisis as leverage for diplomatic pressure. Since its independence in 1956, Rabat has claimed sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla, two enclaves that Spain categorically refuses to negotiate. Cembrero asserts that Moroccan security forces appeared to be "standing idly by" since Wednesday and that Morocco "saw an opportunity" to force Madrid to negotiate. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights has called for an independent investigation to "shed full light" on the causes of the influx.

Some analysts also suggest possible American and Israeli involvement in encouraging Morocco to allow migrants to pass through. Spain refused to allow an American cargo ship carrying weapons for Israel to dock in Algeciras in 2024, while Moroccan authorities welcomed the warship. Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have both publicly criticized Spanish positions on Palestine and the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Trump seized the opportunity to fuel the domestic political debate in the United States. “I looked at Spain yesterday, I saw the catastrophe. It looks like an invasion of the country by hundreds of thousands of people,” he said on Friday. The US president linked the situation to the November midterm elections, where Republicans are struggling to maintain their slim majority in Congress. The State Department raised the travel advisory for Ceuta to level 3, advising Americans against traveling there due to “unpredictable and dangerous security situations.”

Esteban Beltran, director of Amnesty International Spain, called on Madrid and Rabat to respect fundamental rights in their response. "The principle of non-refoulement is absolute, and collective expulsions are prohibited in all cases," he reiterated.