Sánchez responds to criticism over Ceuta migrant crisis: "Now is not the time for divisions"

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against criticism from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government over the migrant influx into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, arguing that other EU entry routes have received larger numbers of irregular arrivals in recent years.

Sánchez posted on social media the Frontex figures for irregular crossings between 2021 and 2026 and wrote: "Solidarity and empathy are a choice. Respect for European agreements and the data is not." He shared the agency's totals for that period: 478,600 irregular arrivals via Italy, 340,600 via the Western Balkans, 259,800 via Greece, 234,760 via Spain, and 48,000 via the eastern border.

Political tensions and footage from Ceuta

Video recordings circulating online show hundreds of migrants running through Ceuta and entering shops, leaving chaos and damage behind. A widely shared tweet from Matt Van Swol reads: "#BREAKING : The Moroccan Muslims who have invaded the small Spanish city of Ceuta are now BREAKING INTO STORES by the HUNDREDS. Police are completely overwhelmed. Migrants can be seen running from one store to the next, grabbing items and running. WHERE IS THE MILITARY?!!!!!"

Giorgia Meloni described the images as "shocking" and said they demonstrate that "uncontrolled illegal migration represents a real threat to the security of Europe's borders."

Spain's first formal reply came from Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, who summoned the Italian ambassador in Madrid to protest the proposal to suspend Spain from the Schengen area following the mass arrivals in Ceuta. During a visit to the autonomous city, Sánchez defended his government's migration policy, saying it helped reduce irregular crossings in recent years.

Several other EU leaders expressed support for Italy's position. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen urged the European Union to "consider all possibilities, including suspension of Schengen cooperation." France said it would tighten controls at its border with Spain "because of the situation observed in the enclave of Ceuta," on orders from Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker called on Spain not to allow "a single illegal migrant" to reach the European continent and argued that regularisation policies had acted as an incentive for illegal migration. Similar backing came from Finland's Interior Minister Mari Rantanen and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

The episode has increased pressure on Spain: after Italy and Finland, Denmark has also asked that Spain be excluded from Schengen.

Photo: EPA-EFE/JUAN CARLOS HIDALGO