Socialist Spanish PM blasts Meloni over restored border controls after Ceuta surge, demands emergency meeting

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez broadly blasted his fellow European leaders for their response to the surge of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco to the Spanish border, seemingly criticizing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for deciding to resume European border controls in the wake of the incident.

Sánchez appeared to take issue with Italy's decision to temporarily suspend Schengen Area free-travel arrangements with Spain. The Schengen Area is an agreement between 29 European countries which abolishes passport controls and allows people to travel across European borders without providing documents.

"In the current international context, the European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction," Sánchez said in a letter obtained by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news wire.

Sánchez, who leads the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, touted his country's quick turnaround in expelling nearly all of the 50,000-60,000 migrants who crossed the border back to Morocco.

"Despite these indisputable facts," Sánchez wrote, "the reaction of European governments over the past few hours has been rather asymmetric. Most have showed us their support and solidarity, and have offered their assistance. Others, however, have chosen to attack Spain and to call for its temporary exclusion from the Schengen Area."

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"Such an attitude — driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest — is not only contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together," he reportedly wrote. "It is also contrary to Europe’s long-term interests and to the most basic common sense, because Ceuta is not part of the Schengen Area, because there are almost no irregular migrants left unreturned, and because Spain is, according to Frontex, one of the least porous external borders of the European Union, with a number of irregular entries that is half that recorded, for example, in Italy in recent years (2021–2026)."

Sánchez additionally requested a formal meeting of the interior ministers of all 27 European Union countries in the letter, which was addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.

Ireland is currently serving its one-year term as the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives to attend a press conference following an extraordinary cabinet meeting about the energy crisis, at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on March 20, 2026. Pedro Sanchez has announced a 'drastic cut' in energy taxes (Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP via Getty Images)

Sánchez's request followed a mass stampede of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, which shares a land border with Morocco in North Africa. Approximately 50,000-60,000 people illegally rush over the border into European territory, according to Spanish local and national authorities.

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The shocking footage of the flood of people prompted a worldwide response, including from President Donald Trump.

Meloni, a conservative, announced the signing of a letter by 22 EU countries calling for stronger borders.

"The images arriving from Ceuta have once again demonstrated how urgent it is for Europe to respond to illegal immigration," Meloni wrote in a Saturday post on X.

"This is why Italy has promoted, together with Denmark, a letter signed by 22 EU member states, which calls for joint action to strengthen external borders, combat irregular immigration, fight human traffickers, make returns more effective, and eliminate any factor that could incentivize new illegal entries. It is an important signal: the line that Italy has long supported is today shared by an ever-growing number of European nation. Defending the external borders of the Union is not the interest of a single Nation. It is a shared responsibility of Europe," Meloni concluded.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during a joint statement at the conclusion of Italian-German government consultations in Rome on Jan. 23, 2026. Meloni on Saturday announced a joint letter singed by 23 European nations demanding stronger European border protections. (Remo Casilli/Reuters)

Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, as part of Ireland's EU presidency, will convene a meeting of the EU's Justice and Home Affairs Council to respond to the crisis, Martin announced in a Saturday post on X.

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Ceuta's President Juan Jesús Vivas said at least 60,000 people — or about 70% of the territory's population — crossed over from Morocco. Spain's interior ministry released its own figures shortly after Vivas spoke Friday, estimating that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco since Thursday. It added that 48,300 had already returned to Morocco by Friday evening, with hundreds more going back by the hour.

Von der Leyen claimed none of the migrants who crossed into Ceuta made it to the European mainland and that virtually all of them had returned to Morocco.

A map shows Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast bordering Morocco. (Fox News)

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"The good news is that the vast majority of those who arrived illegally have returned to Morocco, due to the effective work of Spanish and Moroccan law enforcement. Not a single person reached mainland Spain or the rest of the EU," she wrote in a Saturday morning post on X.

At least 67 people were killed in the border rush. As a result, Spain announced it was installing a 500-meter-long barrier in the sea to combat future migration pushes.

Migrants cross on foot into the North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco by attempting to swim, according to Spain's Guardia Civil, near the border with Ceuta, in Fnideq, Morocco, July 30, 2026, in this still image obtained by Reuters (Reuters)

Fox News Digital contacted the offices of the Spanish, Italian and Irish prime ministers and the office of the European commissioner.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.