Spain and Italy trade Schengen suspensions as Ceuta migration crisis escalates
Italy calls Spain's border controls 'incomprehensible and unacceptable' after Madrid retaliated against Rome's Schengen suspension, triggered by the arrival of at least 72,000 migrants in Ceuta from Morocco on July 30.
Mass migration to Ceuta
On July 30 and 31, tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, swimming across the border at the Tarajal breakwater. El Mundo reported at least 72,000 irregular migrants entered the autonomous city, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini cited a figure of 50,000. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) confirmed on Friday that 141 people drowned during the crossing. Ceuta's president, Juan Jesús Vivas, estimated that between 8,000 and 11,000 people remain in the territory after the rest were expelled, with thousands identified as sub-Saharan Africans who cannot be repatriated.
- Deaths confirmed (AMDH)
- 141 people
- Remaining, low (Vivas)
- 8000 people
- Remaining, high (Vivas)
- 11000 people
Italy suspends Schengen with Spain
Italy's government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, responded by suspending Schengen free-movement provisions for travelers arriving from Spain. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani defended the move as a preventive measure permitted under EU treaties, citing the "extraordinary" situation in Ceuta. He argued that sub-Saharan Africans who crossed into Ceuta would likely travel onward to Italy, calling it the "most exposed" destination. Tajani also cited Spanish intelligence reports warning of a potential new wave of arrivals around mid-August, linked to social media calls for a new mass entry on August 15. According to El Mundo, 22 EU member states joined Italy's criticism of Spanish migration policy.
- Tens of thousands cross from Morocco into Ceuta at the Tarajal breakwater
- Spanish government spokesman reports social media call for new mass entry on August 15
- Spain gives Italy a three-day deadline to reverse Schengen controls
- Spain reinstates border controls for Italian travelers at midnight
- BOE publishes order; Tajani and Salvini criticize Spain in newspaper interviews
- Feared new mass entry into Ceuta per social media calls; Italy says it will reconsider controls after this date
Spain retaliates with border controls
Spain's government gave Italy a three-day deadline on Friday August 7 to reverse its controls. When Italy refused, Spain reinstated border checks at ports and airports for travelers from Italy starting at midnight on Saturday August 8. The order, published in Spain's Official State Gazette (BOE) on Sunday August 9, runs for 30 calendar days, from August 8 through September 7, 2026, and cites "high pressure on the central Mediterranean route." Third Vice President Sara Aagesen, also Minister for Ecological Transition, defended the measure as aimed at "defending the dignity of Spanish citizens." She stressed that no person from Ceuta had reached the Spanish mainland, meaning the Schengen area had not been violated.
There has not been any person who has arrived from Ceuta to the mainland.
Italian officials attack Spanish response
Tajani called Spain's reaction "disproportionate," "incomprehensible and totally unacceptable," and described it as a "reprisal." In interviews with La Stampa and La Repubblica, he criticized Spain's migration policy of open borders where "everyone enters and gets regularized," saying it sends "a negative message that endangers everyone's security" and claiming this concern is "shared by all of Europe." He added that Italy had not broken diplomatic relations and accused Sánchez of dramatizing the dispute.
What is incomprehensible and totally unacceptable is the reaction of Spain.
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini went further, accusing the Spanish government of "bordering on the ridiculous" and stating that Italy defends European borders while Spain has not. He also referenced Spain's regularization of 500,000 undocumented migrants and told Corriere della Sera he was waiting for opposition leader Santiago Abascal to come to power to "correct" the situation.
Mediation efforts
Italian President Sergio Mattarella appealed for migration management that "respects human dignity" and urged against using the crisis as a political weapon. The European Union is attempting to mediate the dispute, described by LaSexta as the most significant diplomatic clash between Spain and Italy this century. Italy has said it will not reconsider its decision before August 15, when the feared new mass entry is expected, while Spain's controls remain in force through September 7, 2026.
