Spain mobilizes military to confront invasion of as many as 60,000 migrants

Migrants storming the beaches in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Tens of thousands of migrants poured into Spain on Thursday in what many are describing as an invasion. The influx of migrants was so large, the Spanish government mobilized police and the military to confront the constant stream of people entering the country.

The scene unfolded in Ceuta, a small village just south of Gibraltar near Spain's border with Morocco. According to The Telegraph, Ceuta's mayor-president Juan Jesus Vivas estimated that 60,000 migrants had crossed the border into the enclave on Thursday alone, which has a population just shy of 85,000. Some estimates have put the number of migrants who entered Ceuta on Thursday closer to 50,000, but whatever the exact number was, it was large enough to overwhelm local police.

The invasion continued on Friday as migrants were seen climbing over fences and entering the enclave, which is situated on the northern tip of Africa and borders the Strait of Gibraltar. Other videos on social media showed the migrants climbing ladders and apparently trying to break into homes of residents in Ceuta. On the Morocco side of the border, security forces clashed with migrants who were making their way toward Cueta as authorities deployed tear gas to subdue the crowds, The Associated Press reported. 

“The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,” Vivas told reporters, according to The Associated Press.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived in Ceuta on Friday and was greeted with a chorus of jeers from irate locals. Even Sánchez, who has allowed a radically liberal immigration policy, denounced the invasion, calling it “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.”

The border crisis sent shockwaves throughout Europe as other countries' leaders watched and reacted with outrage. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took to X to express her concerns and reiterate her country's border policies.

“The images coming from Ceuta are striking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal migration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe’s borders," Meloni said in her social media post.

“Italy will not stand by and watch. We are prepared to intervene to defend the borders and safety of citizens, including suspending the Schengen Area with Spain. On illegal immigration, we will not yield an inch: defending the borders, stopping human traffickers, and ensuring effective repatriations will continue to be the line of this Government." Finland's interior minister echoed Meloni's remarks on border security. 

Even Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, acknowledged that the “images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable. We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,” she said on Friday, according to The Associated Press. “Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow."

More than 30 fatalities have been reported amid the chaos, and Morocco's ambassador to Spain acknowledged the crisis, saying he hoped that the tens of thousands who illegally entered Spain would return to Morocco. For more on the story, watch the video below.