The European Union (E.U.) will meet in video conference Tuesday before issuing stern warnings over the illegal migrant invasion that started flooding the Spanish enclave of Ceuta mid-last week.
The call to action will come six days after the surge was first reported in what is now regarded as the single largest crossing of its kind in the E.U.’s history.
The BBC reports 22 member states issued a joint letter calling for co-ordinated action and the strengthening of the E.U.’s external borders after some 60,000 illegal migrants freely entered the outpost from Morocco.
The E.U. members’ letter addresses concerns around “hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible,” adding the free, open borders “would encourage further attempts, undermine confidence in our common migration policy and have repercussions for all Member States”.
Illegal migrants relax in Ceuta after Spanish authorities began to install a floating maritime barrier off the coast to prevent irregular crossings into the Spanish enclave in North Africa, on August 1, 2026. (Marcos Moreno/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Spain condemned “selfish, polarising and unlawful” reaction to the crisis after Italy suspended the E.U.’s border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain – a move backed by Finland and Denmark – as the E.U. continues to struggle with illegal migrants crossing borders by land and sea, as Breitbart News reported.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has now suspended Italy’s Schengen agreement with Spain for a month as the world has watched in wonder at Europe’s seeming self-destructive attitude to illegal immigration.
The BBC report notes Ceuta has long been a focal point for illegal migrants attempting to reach Europe.
During the summer months, there is often a big push to reach Ceuta, typically organised over social media and designed to use Spain’s lax attitude to foreign nationals strolling into the country.
In 2021, about 8,000 people entered Ceuta over a matter of days, exacerbating Spain’s diplomatic tensions with Morocco.
As Spain has struggled to come to grips with the current crisis and the world’s admonition of its tardy response builds, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted a video Saturday recommending summer songs to his social media followers as a personal display of priorities.
Sánchez made no comment about the human tidal wave swamping Ceuta or the people smuggling rings making massive profits from their illegal efforts.
People smuggling rings operating out of or into Spain reportedly generate millions of euros annually, with individual criminal networks benefitting the most.
At least 72 people died during last week’s mass influx of illegals.