Rabat – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for European unity on Friday as the migration crisis in the Spanish-occupied enclave of Ceuta triggered growing divisions among European leaders and criticism from the United States.
“This is not the time to divide,” Sanchez said in a post on X, as Spain faced pressure from some European partners over the large number of migrants who entered Ceuta in recent days. An estimate of 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta in a single day.
“It is the time to continue building a strong and united EU,” he added, sharing statistics on irregular migration into other parts of Europe. He pointed to Frontex data showing that irregular entries into the bloc were higher through Italy, the Western Balkans, and Greece than through Spain.
La solidaridad y la empatía son opcionales.
El respeto a los tratados europeos y a los datos, no.
👇🏼Número de entradas irregulares entre 2021 y 2026 según Frontex:
Por Italia: 478.600
Por los Balcanes occidentales: 340.600
Por Grecia: 259.800
Por España: 234.760
Por la…— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 31, 2026
Sánchez’s comments came after Italy suspended the application of the Schengen free-travel regime with Spain and closed its air and sea borders to the country, according to the Italian Interior Ministry.
The decision followed the entry of tens of thousands of migrants into Ceuta this week. The measure was adopted following an assessment by Italy’s Committee on Analysis of Immigration and Border Security, chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish officials also called for Spain to be excluded from Europe’s visa-free travel area because of the situation.
Other European leaders blamed Spain’s migration policies for the crisis. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said the situation in Ceuta resulted from Madrid’s decision to grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of migrants already living in the country.
The United States also criticized the Spanish government, with the State Department accusing Madrid of making “deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe.”
US President Donald Trump described the events in Ceuta as a warning for the United States, claiming that similar migration could occur if his political opponents returned to power.
Meanwhile, tensions continued near Ceuta as thousands of migrants attempted to reach the Spanish territory. Moroccan security forces prevented groups from approaching the border fence, while clashes were reported near the crossing.
Despite the large number of returns, thousands of migrants remained in different neighborhoods of Ceuta without a clear destination.
