Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 11:30

Can Italy 'suspend Spain from Schengen zone' over Ceuta crisis?

Josep Borrell has criticised Italy’s threat to “suspend” Spain from the Schengen zone after tens of thousands of migrants breached Morocco's border to cross over to Ceuta.

The former vice-president of the European Commission confirmed that “the option simply does not exist in the legal architecture of the European Union.

“Under EU law, no Member State can unilaterally suspend another’s participation in Schengen,” he wrote on X.

Borrell hit out at both Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini for the threat.

He added that this is “quite revealing of how EU governments are learning to understand, talk, use and abuse” the union’s legal orders.

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 11:20

'Being Spanish doesn't mean hitting migrants'

Police have been urged to investigate attacks on Moroccans in Ceuta who are “fleeing hunger and misery in their country”.

The Loma Colmenar Residents' Association, a community group representing residents in the enclave, has demanded an end to the violence against migrants arriving in the city.

It claimed that a number of migrants were attacked during last night’s demonstration, including migrant children being harassed.

Its president, Rafael García, has called on the police to identify those responsible, adding that videos of these incidents exist.

"Being Spanish doesn't mean hitting migrants," he said.

Insisting that local authorities must find a place to house people while their situation is being addressed, he added: "What we have to do now is try to solve the problem.”

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 11:00

In pictures: People use swim rings to make treacherous journey to Ceuta

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 10:50

Spain and Italy row over 'unbecoming' claims about 'uncontrolled immigration'

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, has criticised Italy for claims about “irregular and uncontrolled immigration” amid the chaos in Ceuta.

Italy’s deputy prime minister, Antonio Tajani, posted on Xlast night: “The images coming from Ceuta show how the Madrid Government's decision to grant Spanish, and therefore European, citizenship to over 500,000 irregular immigrants is profoundly wrong and encourages human trafficking.”

Tajani added that he supports “closing the Schengen Area to Spain.”

Reacting to accusation, Albares said the message is “unbecoming.”

“Today's events are related to a court ruling, having nothing to do with what the tweet says,” the minister added.

He confirmed that he has summoned the Italian ambassador.

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 10:36

Death toll for 2026 reaches 49

The Civil Guard and Maritime Rescue have been recovering the bodies of drowned victims from the water, in what has become the most tragic day related to deaths on the coast of Ceuta.

These deaths bring the number of migrants who have died this year trying to swim into the Spanish exclave to 49.

In July alone, 30 people drowned while attempting to reach the city.

The number of deaths exceeds the 46 fatalities recorded throughout 2025, which was the most dramatic year for this type of event.

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 10:16

Watch: Migrants from Morocco swim across border into Spain's Ceuta

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 10:10

Number of migrants killed in crossing rises

The number of people who have died while attempting to cross into Ceuta has risen to at least 19.

Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, said earlier today that most had drowned.

But he added that a number of them were killed in the stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco.

One of the migrants who was caught in the stampede described chaotic scenes of people pushing and trampling on one another along a narrow coastal route.

"I feared for my life," said the man, who declined to give his name.

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 10:00

What is behind the surge in migrant crossings?

Authorities in Ceuta had previously linked the spike in border crossings to a controversial Spanish Supreme Court decision earlier this month .

It ruled that people who arrive by sea cannot be immediately pushed back across the border without due process, unlike those who cross into Spain by land - by climbing over the border fence, for example.

But some activists in Morocco doubt that the legal decision was behind the surge, arguing that most migrants would have been unaware of it.

Spain is a main point of arrival into Europe for migrants seeking better economic opportunities or an escape from violence in their home countries.

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 09:50

France to strengthen controls at border with Spain

France is planning “extra measures” to reinforce its border with Spain amid the influx of nearly 50,000 migrants in the last 24 hours.

“We have control at the Franco-Spanish border, it exists,” the French interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, told RTL this morning, reacting to the chaos in Ceuta.

“Moreover, it has been reinforced in recent months since we have a mobile force that is permanently present and that reinforces these controls.”

He added: “I spoke with my Spanish counterpart yesterday, we will take measures, we will obviously strengthen controls at the Franco-Spanish border."

Gergana.Krasteva31 July 2026 09:40