Finnish minister: Spain has 'completely failed' to secure border

Finland's Interior Minister, Mari Rantanen, has blasted Spain for its failure to secure the border in Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the North African coast. According to Rantanen, Spain has failed to protect the external border of the Schengen area from mass migration. On Friday, Spanish authorities reported that approximately 49,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta from Morocco in a single day, both by sea and land.

The majority of these migrants were young men, though families with women and children were also present, as per the Associated Press. At least 19 migrants were found dead in the water, reported CNBC Africa. Rantanen accused Spain of violating the Schengen visa-free zone, suggesting that European countries should back Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposal to expel Spain from the Schengen area.

This comes after Spain deployed military troops and police to Ceuta on Thursday to restore order. Ceuta shares a border with Morocco, dividing the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.