Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, visiting Ceuta on Thursday, condemned the mass crossings as a violation of Spain's territorial integrity and called it an attack on national sovereignty, after Italy pushed to suspend Spain from Schengen over the border crisis.
Some 50,000 migrants entered Ceuta irregularly from Morocco on Thursday, though more than half had already returned to Morocco by Friday. Sánchez thanked Morocco for its cooperation in speeding repatriations and blamed the surge on criminal networks exploiting a recent Supreme Court ruling on border returns. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska will remain in Ceuta in the coming days.
Ceuta's regional president Juan Jesús Vivas declared a total humanitarian and social emergency, urging Madrid to declare a national state of emergency — a step the Interior Ministry has ruled out. Up to 20 people drowned attempting the crossing, and the government plans to install a buoy barrier at the Tarajal breakwater.