Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has condemned a large influx of unauthorised migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta as an “attack” on the country’s territorial integrity. The incident unfolded over a 24-hour period, during which approximately 60,000 people entered Ceuta, a small territory on the North African coast bordering Morocco.

Sánchez visited Ceuta after thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco by swimming around a breakwater, overwhelming Spanish police forces. Authorities responded by deploying the army to manage the situation. Early attempts by more people to scale border fences led to violent clashes. By early evening, Spanish officials reported that around 48,300 migrants had been returned to Morocco.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the events as “unacceptable,” emphasizing that entry into the European Union must comply with established rules. Juan Jesús Vivas, the president of Ceuta, noted that the scale of the migration surge exceeded previous peaks, including comparisons to the 2015 refugee crisis when hundreds of thousands entered Europe via Turkey.

Madrid attributed part of the responsibility to organised people-smuggling networks, which they say exploited a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling that restricts authorities from intercepting migrants arriving by sea in Ceuta and the other Spanish enclave, Melilla. Some analysts have suggested that Moroccan authorities may have intentionally facilitated the migrant flow, although Sánchez did not directly address whether Morocco played a role.

Ceuta itself has around 83,000 residents and is geographically enclosed by Morocco. Migrants arriving in Ceuta are subject to additional border inspections if they attempt to travel onward to mainland Spain.

The incident quickly became a point of political contention across Europe. Former U.S. President Donald Trump described the situation as a “catastrophe,” criticizing Spanish authorities’ response. Marine Le Pen, leader of the French far-right party, accused the Spanish government of encouraging migration. In response, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered his interior ministry to bolster border controls with Spain. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on Morocco to promptly repatriate the migrants.

The migration surge in Ceuta highlights ongoing tensions between Spain and Morocco, as well as broader challenges faced by the European Union in managing irregular migration at its external borders.