Twenty-two European Union leaders have criticised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s migration policies following a mass crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, arguing that they undermine the bloc’s external borders.
Among those backing the criticism were German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Sanchez rejected the claims, accusing his European counterparts of responding in a “selfish” and “unlawful” manner to the arrival of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta. Although almost all of the migrants have since returned to Morocco and none reached mainland Europe, the episode has reignited divisions within the EU over migration policy.
Leaders Raise Concerns Over Migration Policies
In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, the 22 leaders expressed “serious concern” over the security of the EU’s external frontier.
They also criticised Spain’s plan to grant legal status to as many as 1.2 million undocumented migrants, describing the measure as a potential “pull factor”.
“We have a duty to effectively deter and relentlessly combat illegal migration, by coordinating our action, strengthening our external borders and addressing all policies that can serve as pull factors, such as the regularization of [a] very large number of irregular migrants,” the letter said.
Ireland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, convened an emergency video meeting of EU interior ministers after the letter was sent.
Spain Rejects Claims
The Spanish government denied that its migrant regularisation programme had encouraged the influx into Ceuta. A spokesperson for Spain’s foreign ministry said none of those who entered the enclave would qualify under the scheme.
“This process is based on very specific conditions, such as proof of residency in Spain before January 1, 2026, and having resided in Spain for five consecutive months at the time of application,” the spokesperson said.
The government also noted that applications for the programme, which began in April, closed in June.
Ceuta Crisis
More than 60,000 people crossed into the North African enclave on Thursday and Friday, triggering a humanitarian emergency and prompting Spain to deploy additional police and military personnel.
According to Spanish and Moroccan authorities, more than 80 migrants died during the crossings, including people who drowned or were crushed while attempting to cross a breakwater barrier.
By Saturday, “almost all” of those who entered had returned to Morocco and the situation in Ceuta had largely stabilised, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said.
Political Divisions
The events exposed longstanding divisions within the European Union over migration policy.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that Italy would introduce temporary air and sea border controls with Spain and questioned Madrid’s handling of the crisis.
Sanchez rejected the criticism, saying Italy’s position was “contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together”.
In a post on X, he also noted that Italy had received significantly more migrants than Spain since 2021, saying Italy had recorded around 478,000 arrivals compared with Spain’s 234,000.
According to the EU’s border agency, Frontex, irregular border crossings peaked at 1.8 million in 2015. During the first half of 2026, crossings fell by 37% compared with the same period last year to around 49,000.
Human rights organisations have accused some politicians of using the Ceuta crisis to promote anti-immigration narratives.
They have also criticised the EU’s tougher migration and asylum rules, warning they could leave asylum seekers stranded in offshore detention centres while illegal pushbacks at European and North African borders continue.
Morocco Points to Court Ruling
Spain has defended its handling of the crisis, saying it worked closely with Morocco to bring the situation under control despite receiving limited support from other EU countries.
Spanish officials also argued that a recent Supreme Court ruling, which found migrants arriving by sea cannot be summarily returned without due process, had been misrepresented by people-smuggling networks.
A senior Moroccan official, speaking anonymously to AFP, said Rabat had warned Spain that discussions surrounding the court ruling on social media could encourage more people to attempt the crossing.
“We discussed this ruling and its impact. We explained that this ruling was going to create a problem. And it did create a problem,” the official said.
Rejecting suggestions that Morocco had failed to stop the crossings, the official added: “It’s simplistic to say that Morocco should just have used force to stop them. That is to completely misunderstand this phenomenon.”