Italy suspends Schengen agreement with Spain over Ceuta migrant crisis

Around 50,000 people are reported to have crossed the border

Earlier today, Spain sent troops to bolster security in its North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants swam from Morocco into the territory on Thursday (31 July).

At least 57 people drowned trying to reach the enclave, The Guardian reports, in one of the largest mass crossings the territory has seen.

Now, Italy has closed sea and air borders with Spain, temporarily ending free movement between the two nations.

The move was announced on Friday evening by Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, who wrote on X: "The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary choice to safeguard the security of our citizens and defend the European borders.

"A measure provided for by the treaties and made unavoidable today. The migrant crisis in Ceuta reminds us that the management of the Union’s borders is a shared responsibility among our countries, one toward the other.

"We must work together to prevent uncontrolled migrant flows from entering EU territory, with all the consequent risks and the threat of terrorism, which must be countered without hesitation."

Meloni later confirmed this decision saying that it was “an extraordinary measure, adopted to safeguard national security and prevent possible repercussions for our nation.”

The numbers

The Guardian reports that as many as 60,000 migrants may have crossed the border into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

At least 57 people have died, the outlet reported.

Meanwhile, Spanish authorities have since claimed that a vast majority of the migrants have voluntarily returned to Morocco.

This was echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron who said: “I welcome the ongoing cooperation with Morocco, which has already enabled more than 40,000 returns from Ceuta to Morocco today.

"The interior ministers are in contact to ensure close monitoring of the situation.”

The suspension of the Schengen agreement will mean the return of border checks for those travelling between Spain and Italy with free movement slowed.

It is not sure how long the measure will last for.

Chaos as the Ceuta border brakes down

Local officials had appealed to Madrid for help after a recent rise in attempted crossings, but border controls apparently broke down on Thursday.

Thousands of people slid down concrete embankments into the sea to swim around the jetty that marks the border, leaving Spanish beaches strewn with rubber rings and flippers.

At one point a Spanish official said the border was in total collapse, with migrant reception centres quickly overwhelmed.

Before announcing the suspension today, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni described the images in Ceuta as "shocking".

In a statement in X she wrote: "We are in the process of bringing together the competent bodies and, once these meetings are over, we are ready to act, including through exceptional measures, such as suspending the Schengen agreement with Spain."

Spain's interior ministry accused human trafficking networks of exploiting a Supreme Court ruling this month that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or the enclave of Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

"The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta," the interior ministry said.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged to return things to normal immediately.

The crossings are the latest sign of the pressure migration is placing on Europe's borders as the continent heads into a busy period for European travel this summer.