The mass entry of migrants into the Spanish enclave raises questions about the security of the EU's external borders. Spain is deploying a floating barrier, while some migrants remain and can apply for international protection.
As Spanish authorities on Saturday deploy a 500-meter floating barrier on the maritime border of the enclave of Ceuta with Morocco, an analysis by the portal Teleskop.hr warns that European and Croatian politicians are overlooking a key fact: entering Ceuta and Melilla can open a path for migrants to the Schengen area, and thus to Croatia.
According to data reported by the Japan Times, since Thursday, around 50,000 people have entered Ceuta by land and sea, in an unprecedented wave at one of the EU's few land borders with Africa. At least 67 people have died. Spain has announced that more than 48,000 people have returned to Morocco within 48 hours, and that crossings stopped overnight into Saturday.
Although Ceuta and Melilla are not formally part of the Schengen area, Teleskop.hr emphasizes that this is not the whole story. Spain's Supreme Court ruled in 2020 and 2021 that asylum seekers whose applications have been accepted for processing cannot be restricted from moving to the rest of Spanish territory simply because they are in the enclave. Since the end of 2021, some asylum seekers have been systematically transferred to the mainland.
Priority for transfers is often given to vulnerable individuals, a category that includes minors, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and victims of violence. "This does not mean that every migrant will automatically reach the European mainland. However, it does mean that for some people, the attempt can still pay off," writes Teleskop.hr.
The scale of the problem is confirmed by historical data. In the ten years before the current crisis, around 20,000 people entered Ceuta illegally, and nearly 25,000 through Melilla, totaling approximately 45,000 recorded entries. Upon reaching the Spanish mainland, a migrant enters the Schengen area, where the possibilities for further movement are significantly greater.
Croatia has no regular border controls with Slovenia and Hungary, so migration pressure arising at one end of Europe can spill over to other member states. In the current wave, several thousand people have remained in Ceuta, and the reception center is full, with some of the arrivals refusing to return to Morocco.
Spanish writer Manuel Vilas told La Repubblica: "A Ceuta esseri umani usati come arma politica. Penso a tutte le vittime" ("In Ceuta, human beings are being used as a political weapon. I think of all the victims"). He added that "the crisis questions Europe's conscience" and that "migration policy has failed."
Spain's opposition has sharply criticized the government. Politician Feijóo, as reported by La Repubblica, speaks of "Occupazione premeditata di suolo europeo," or the deliberate occupation of European soil, while the Spanish right accuses Madrid of "allowing an invasion."
The crisis has also triggered broader European reactions. Al Jazeera English reports that some EU countries have announced border controls with Spain, and Italy has suspended Schengen rules that allow travel without border checks. U.S. President Donald Trump has also weighed in, attempting to link the brief migrant surge in Ceuta to the U.S. midterm elections in November.
On the question of why the influx happened now and what it means for Spain's migrant policy, the Al Jazeera program Inside Story featured a discussion with Anna Terron Cusi, former Spanish Secretary of State for Immigration and Emigration, Daniel Gros, Director of the Institute for European Policy Making at Bocconi University, and Deborah Fleischaker, former Acting Chief of Staff at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
As Teleskop.hr concludes, if some of the migrants who remained in Ceuta are transferred to the mainland through the asylum system, a clear message is sent to future migrants that a mass border breach can pay off for at least some. "By keeping this fact quiet, the public is not given the full picture, but rather a politically softened version of a problem that is anything but harmless."
