Rabat – In a tit-for-tat move, Spain has restored temporary border controls on travelers arriving from Italy following Rome’s decision to maintain restrictions on travelers coming from Spain amid the migration crisis in Ceuta.
The Spanish government reintroduced the controls at midnight on Saturday, El Pais reported. The measures are expected to remain in place until September 7, although the government said the deadline could be changed depending on how the situation develops.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said border officers will carry out checks on passengers arriving on flights and ships with direct connections to Italy. The checks will not necessarily apply to every traveler or every flight. Border teams will decide whether to inspect an entire flight or selected passengers based on the information available to them.
In practice, checks at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport on Saturday were carried out randomly and mainly focused on travelers from outside the European Union, according to the report. EU citizens were generally exempt from the inspections to avoid delays. Officers checked documents such as passports, visas, and residence permits when required.
“Proportional action”
The Spanish government said the decision was made after Italy refused to lift similar controls introduced on August 1 for travelers arriving from Spain. Rome imposed the restrictions following the mass arrival of migrants in occupied Ceuta from Morocco.
Spain had asked Italy to remove the measures, warning that it would take “proportional” action if the restrictions remained in place. After the Italian government rejected the request, Spain decided to introduce similar controls.
The dispute has added to tensions between Madrid and Rome as both governments face pressure over migration. Italian opposition parties have criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government for maintaining the restrictions, describing the decision as a diplomatic crisis with Spain.
Meanwhile in Ceuta, more than 1,300 minors are still in the Spanish enclave, nine days after the mass arrival of around 72,000 people from Morocco. Authorities are working to organize their accommodation before their transfer to other Spanish regions, the Spanish outlet reported.
The crisis has also resulted in a significant number of deaths. Ceuta’s Institute of Legal Medicine has completed autopsies on 82 people whose bodies were recovered from the sea while attempting to cross toward Spain. All but one of the identified victims were men, the report said. Meanwhile, Morocco set the death toll at 14 people.
