\n<\/p>\n
Local authorities claimed that around 60,000 migrants stormed the tiny Spanish territory on the North African coast, although Spanish authorities later said the situation had rapidly eased, with more than 48,300 Moroccans voluntarily returning home.<\/p>\n
The crisis placed S\u00e1nchez increasingly isolated in Europe as leaders turned the events in Ceuta into a test of Spain\u2019s ability to protect the European Union\u2019s external borders.<\/p>\n
Thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta by sea and through the land border with Morocco, prompting Madrid to deploy the army and close the border with Melilla, Spain\u2019s other North African enclave.<\/p>\n
EU leaders demand tougher action<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The response reflected Europe\u2019s increasingly hard-line political debate on migration, with several leaders focusing on domestic concerns and calling for stronger measures against irregular arrivals.<\/p>\n Italy moved to suspend Schengen cooperation with Spain and closed maritime and air borders to the country. Rome and Paris also agreed to strengthen controls along their shared land border.<\/p>\n Finland and Denmark raised the possibility of cutting Spain off from the EU\u2019s free-travel area, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told Madrid it \u201cmust regain control\u201d of the territory.<\/p>\n Calls to suspend Spain from Schengen came first from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a long-time critic of S\u00e1nchez who openly supports Spain\u2019s right-wing Vox party, and later from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.<\/p>\n However, legal experts questioned whether such a suspension could actually happen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not possible to exclude a state from Schengen in this way,\u201d said C\u00e9cilia Rizcallah, a law and human rights professor at UCLouvain Saint-Louis University in Brussels, arguing that the proposal represented a misuse of legal terminology.<\/p>\n EU says wider migration movement remains limited<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n A senior European Commission official said the possibility of migrants reaching mainland Europe remained low.<\/p>\n \u201cSo far we haven\u2019t seen any onward movements from Ceuta to mainland Spain or other member states,\u201d the official told journalists.<\/p>\n The EU considers Morocco a safe country of origin, meaning asylum claims from Moroccan nationals entering Europe are rarely approved.<\/p>\n Despite the pressure, S\u00e1nchez called for unity among European governments.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not the time to divide,\u201d he wrote on X. \u201cIt is the time to continue building a strong and united EU.\u201d<\/p>\n The Ceuta crisis quickly became a political opportunity for Europe\u2019s far-right parties.<\/p>\n As dramatic footage spread online, conservative and far-right groups criticised S\u00e1nchez\u2019s left-wing coalition government and accused it of encouraging irregular migration.<\/p>\n The centre-right European People\u2019s Party also attacked S\u00e1nchez over his government\u2019s plans to regularise around 500,000 migrants, a policy opponents have criticised.<\/p>\n However, far-right leaders moved faster.<\/p>\n Matteo Salvini was among the first European politicians to call for suspending Schengen cooperation with Spain.<\/p>\n French far-right figures, including Jordan Bardella, accused S\u00e1nchez of allowing an \u201cunprecedented deluge\u201d of migrants.<\/p>\n Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and other government figures later joined calls for action against Spain, prompting criticism from other European governments, including Austria.<\/p>\n International pressure grows<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The controversy also spread beyond Europe, with US conservative figures and some officials portraying the events as evidence that S\u00e1nchez\u2019s migration policies had failed.<\/p>\n Elon Musk shared videos showing migrants crossing the Spanish border, including content from Dutch far-right activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek, who supports a campaign calling for mass deportations.<\/p>\n Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged Spain to adopt Poland\u2019s stricter approach to border security, warning that Spain \u201cmust follow our example if Schengen is to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n France adopted a more supportive approach, saying it stood ready to assist Madrid through EU border agency Frontex if requested.<\/p>\n EU officials confirmed that around 30 Frontex border guards were already stationed near Spain\u2019s internal border with Ceuta, although Madrid had not requested additional assistance.<\/p>\n EU leaders divided over S\u00e1nchez response<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the scenes in Ceuta as \u201cunacceptable\u201d and called for action against smuggling networks and faster migrant returns.<\/p>\n However, she focused on the EU\u2019s partnership with Morocco rather than directly defending S\u00e1nchez.<\/p>\n European Council President Ant\u00f3nio Costa took a different approach, offering clear support for Spain and praising Madrid\u2019s \u201cfirm\u201d response.<\/p>\n Costa expressed solidarity with S\u00e1nchez, seeking to prevent the Spanish leader from becoming politically isolated as Europe debated its migration policies and the future of the Schengen system.<\/p>\n