Rabat – US President Donald Trump and the US State Department have reacted to the ongoing migration crisis in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, where tens of thousands of people crossed the border from Morocco in recent days.
An estimated 60,000 people entered Ceuta in a single day. Spanish authorities have since returned thousands of migrants to Morocco as they continue efforts to manage the large-scale arrivals.
The US State Department expressed support for Spain and other European countries, describing the incident as an “egregious violation” of sovereignty and human rights.
“The United States stands with the people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights,” the department said.
The statement blamed the Spanish government’s migration policies, arguing that the crisis was the result of its “deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe.”
The department said the US was considering measures to protect Americans from similar threats and was ready to support European allies considering comparable actions.
Trump also addressed the situation during a White House Cabinet meeting, describing the mass crossings into Ceuta as similar to an “invasion.” “The catastrophe that took place, it was like an invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people,” Trump said.
He used the crisis to criticize US immigration policies and warned that the United States could face a larger migration challenge if Republicans do not win future elections.
Trump said Spain was struggling to respond to the situation and said people were continuing to enter the enclave “by the tens of thousands.”
“They don’t know what to do,” he said. “And it’s happening again today. They’re coming in by the tens of thousands and just invading the country.”
The US president also blamed what he described as weak laws and poor management by Spain’s government. His comments come amid existing tensions between Trump and the Spanish government, particularly over political and policy differences.
The Ceuta crisis has also fueled criticism from some right-wing political groups in Europe, which have accused Spain’s government of failing to protect the country’s borders and enabling irregular migration.
Spanish authorities have continued returning thousands of people to Morocco while working to restore control at the border. The situation remains tense as large numbers of migrants continue attempting to reach the Spanish enclave while many of them are stranded without food or water.
