Images of a 12-year-old boy in Ceuta crying and asking not to be returned to Morocco

Spain is asserting its control in a dispute with EU nations over the migrant crisis in Ceuta, a North African territory. An emergency EU interior ministers' meeting is scheduled for Tuesday amid political repercussions from most member states. Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants are still in Ceuta following 69,500 returning to Morocco on foot, with some swimming or crossing on foot.

The surge's origin is uncertain but Spain and Morocco attribute it to social media manipulation. At least 67 individuals perished in the crossing. The EU meeting aims to reinforce solidarity with Spain following the incident, which strained relations with other countries, notably Italy. Rome reinstated border controls, citing fears that migrants in Ceuta might head to mainland Europe.

Italy also blamed Spain for promoting the Ceuta arrivals by legalizing the status of about 500,000 undocumented migrants this year. During the meeting, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will stress the incident as a "violation of its sovereignty." Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska will assure other ministers of Spain's responsible migration policy and confidence in controlling the recent influx.

European Schengen countries, non-EU Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, as well as the EU Asylum Agency and Europol, will attend. Spain's government insists no Schengen suspension is necessary, as migrants cannot travel from Ceuta to mainland Spain. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares rebuked Italy for its handling of mass migrant arrivals in Lampedusa.

Tensions persist, with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani questioning the fate of over 5,000 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in Ceuta. Italy and Denmark enlisted 22 EU states in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, criticizing Spain's policies that allegedly encourage migration. France declined to sign.

Diplomatic sources suggest the letter lacked concrete solidarity and aimed to exploit the Ceuta migrant surge against Spain. Sanchez criticized the letter in a separate communication to von der Leyen.