Spain threatens retaliation if Italy fails to lift border controls after Ceuta migrant crossings

Spain has declared it will implement counter-measures against Italy should the country refuse to lift border controls, imposed after a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Roughly 78,000 migrants from Morocco crossed into Ceuta over two days last week, resulting in around 100 deaths. Italy temporarily suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain, leading to the closure of maritime and air entry points, as well as enhanced land border controls.

Spain labeled this response as "unjustified" and "discriminatory against the Spanish population," demanding its reversal by August 9. Should Italy not lift the border controls, Spain warned it would take "proportionate measures" to safeguard its citizens' interests and dignity, though the specific actions have not been disclosed.

Italy, in turn, vowed not to accept "ultimatums or impositions" from Madrid and announced it would maintain the border checks until at least August 15, when it anticipates a new wave of migration to Ceuta. The Spanish government has not confirmed a second wave of crossings. Reports of a potential repeat of last week's scenes have been fueled by social media activity by Moroccan users planning another mass crossing.

Spanish Prime Minister Sira Rego stated that the government is monitoring the situation but does not expect a similar incident. Italy's decision, which does not involve sharing a land border with Spain, was aimed at preventing migrants from Ceuta from traveling to Italy. However, Madrid dismissed this reasoning as baseless, arguing that the migrants had no means of entering the Schengen area.

The two exclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, have long been a source of diplomatic tension between Spain and Morocco, with the latter not recognizing Spanish sovereignty over them. The mass crossings have raised questions about why tens of thousands of migrants attempted to enter Ceuta, with the EU's Migration Commissioner suggesting criminal networks spreading disinformation as the likely cause.

Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants at sea during their attempt to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be forcibly returned to Morocco. The reasoning behind the migrants' decision to cross en masse remains unclear, although Morocco's government has blamed Spain's Supreme Court for the crisis, alleging that the court's decision undermined the deterrent effect of border controls.