Southern Europe’s anti-immigrant attitude on display as Spain, Italy start checking each other’s passports

Spain and Italy have engaged in a diplomatic dispute after Madrid imposed passport checks on Italian travelers, in retaliation for Rome's sanctions on Spanish visitors. The controls, expected to last a month, came after Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni threatened proportionate measures if Spain did not lift its restrictions by an Aug.

9 deadline. The tension arose following the influx of 72,000 migrants from Morocco to Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the North African coast, with over 80 deaths reported. The EU has criticized Spain's policies, which have led to a surge in immigration, and some leaders have called for stricter controls. Italy has stated it will only lift the checks when it is sure there is no security or terrorist risk, and that there won't be another wave of migrants.