Spain's prime minister accused several European Union governments of a "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction to the mass crossing of roughly 60,000 migrants from Morocco into the enclave of Ceuta on July 30. By Saturday, Spanish officials said nearly all of the migrants had returned.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he had "serious concerns" about some European governments. He said Spain had fully restored control over the border and prevented any "unauthorised onward movement towards continental Europe" in less than 48 hours. While most EU nations had shown support and solidarity, Sánchez said others had attacked Spain, "driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest." He also noted that Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area.
"The European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction," he wrote.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the scenes "shocking" and temporarily suspended the EU's border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain. Finland and Denmark backed Italy's move. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš called for a temporary suspension of Spain's Schengen membership outright.
Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters Saturday that the death toll from the crossing had risen to at least 67. At a news conference, he said the situation in Ceuta had almost returned to normal. "Almost all of [the migrants] have already left Ceuta," Grande-Marlaska said, adding that businesses had now reopened. "The situation has been almost entirely reversed."
Spain also announced it had begun establishing an inflatable maritime barrier to prevent further illegal migrant entry.
Meanwhile, 22 of the EU's 27 member countries signed an open letter calling for emergency talks. The letter said those nations "welcome that Spain and Morocco are cooperating closely to ensure the swift return of migrants" and called for a video conference of EU interior ministers to discuss mobilizing EU instruments and support for Spain.
Sánchez also called separately for an urgent meeting of EU interior ministers to reaffirm that border security is "a shared responsibility of all Member States." UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Saturday he had spoken with Sánchez and that the UK was "providing what help we can."
