Spain to impose border checks on Italy
In an escalating diplomatic crisis, Spain has now imposed border controls on all air and sea travel from Italy. The move follows similar measures introduced by Rome in the wake of an influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Simon Moritz has the details.
The Ceuta crisis has breathed new life into advocates for migrant detention centers outside the EU. For the second consecutive year, Italy's asylum seeker detention center in Albania has been nearly empty. These facilities built by Rome outside its own territory have also accumulated judicial loopholes related to the asylum system and controversies over their excessive cost.
However, when images of the Ceuta overflow went viral worldwide, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi seized the opportunity during the EU Council on Tuesday to use the crisis in the North African Spanish city to argue for the EU to build such installations to combat irregular immigration. He called for "the courage to embark on the path of innovative solutions," using that neutral language to distance himself from the controversial connotation of the initiative.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Italy defies Spanish demand to lift border curbs over Ceuta migrant crisis dawn.com
- Spain begins border checks on travellers from Italy amid migration showdown rfi.fr
- Plans for another mass migrant crossing into Ceuta spreading online cbsnews.com
- The Ceuta crisis gives wings to supporters of migrant deportation centers outside the EU elpais.com
