Donald Trump has criticised the “catastrophe” in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, which has been dealing with the mass influx of 60,000 migrants from Morocco.
The US president told a cabinet meeting: “I saw Spain yesterday, and I watched the catastrophe that took place. It looks like an invasion of a country.
“Hundreds of thousands of people. And that same thing’s going to happen to us if the Republicans don’t get elected, except worse, much bigger, much easier to get into.”
His comments echo others made by senior US officials, with the US department of state placing the blame on the socialist administration of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez.
“This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe,” they said.
Meanwhile, Italy is suspending the EU's border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain, and has agreed to strengthen controls along the Franco-Italian land border to try to prevent any undocumented migrants from crossing.
Thousands of migrants have made the journey in the past few days, with Spanish troops deployed to battle the growing crisis on the border.
At least 67 people died while attempting to cross.
Ceuta, along with Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in northern Morocco, represents the European Union's only land border with Africa.
Spain hits back at Italy's 'selfishness' and 'party political point scoring'
Giorgia Meloni’s response to the Ceuta incident has received a sharp rebuke from Spain, who called for “less selfishness” and reminded her of the influx of migrants to Lampedusa in 2023.
When asked to respond to the Italian prime minister’s comments, Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez said: “I would say this, I would ask for more solidarity, more responsibility and less selfishness.
“The selfishness we’ve seen goes beyond ignorance. Ceuta is clearly not Schengen, we handled the situation in 24 hours, this party political point scoring in pointless.
“Lets remember Lampedusa in 2023, some people have a short memory.”
In September 2023, roughly 7,000 migrants, more than the total population, arrived via small boats to the Italian island of Lampedusa.
On Friday, Italy's government suspended its border-free travel arrangements with Spain, with Ms Meloni criticising "uncontrolled illegal immigration".
Spanish minister blames crisis on 'actions of mafias and human traffickers'
In a press briefing, Spain’s interior minister has pushed back on criticism of how his government have handled the Ceuta crisis, insisting that all resources were made available and that “normality is returning” to the enclave.
Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez blamed the surge of crossings on "the actions of mafias, human traffickers, and people who take advantage of vulnerable people".
Pushing back on criticism levelled by countries from leaders such as Giorgia Meloni, he added that "between 2021 and 2026, irregular entries to our country, have halved compared to Italy, for example
Breaking: Number of people killed rises to 77
Spain's interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez says the number of confirmed dead has now risen to 77.
'Life in this city has been disrupted', Ceuta president says
After days of chaos and streets packed with people who had hoped for a better life in Spain, residents of Ceuta woke up Saturday to an uneasy calm.
Even so, security for residents of the autonomous city of 84,000 remained bruised.
"Life in this city has been disrupted as a result of the border incident," said Ceuta's President Juan Jesus Vivas.
"The return of people has begun satisfactorily but the process must be completed," he said. "The city has not yet returned to normal."
Death toll rises to 67 after chaotic border crossings
The death toll in Spain's Ceuta border crisis with Morocco has climbed to 67, the Spanish government said Saturday.
They included some who drowned and some who were killed in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier.
Spain announced it was installing a 500-meter-long containment barrier along the breakwater fence into the sea after some 60,000 migrants breached the tiny Spanish territory's frontier between Thursday and Friday.
A handful of exhausted migrants who swam to Ceuta's urban Tarajal beach Saturday morning were met by soldiers who escorted them back across the border.
Spain's interior ministry says the majority of those who entered the Spanish territory in North Africa have already returned to Morocco.
Elon Musk compares crisis to 2013 zombie film 'World War Z'
Tech trillionaire Elon Musk shared a video comparing footage from the Ceuta migrant crisis with scenes from the 2013 zombie apocalypse movie ‘World War Z’
In the 40-second clip, hundreds of zombies can be seen breaching a wall as terrified onlookers attempt to escape.
The former Trump adviser captioned the post: “Wow, the situation in Spain looks crazy!”
Clarifying the comparison was a joke, he then shared footage from 2023, showing hundreds of Venezuelan migrants attempting to cross into the US, captioning it: “This is what America looked like under Biden.”
US state department blames Spanish government
The US department of state has been far more categorical in placing the blame directly at the hands of the Spanish government, as Donald Trump continues to lead a tense relationship with their prime minister Pedro Sanchez.
“This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government’s deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe. We are considering actions to defend Americans at home and abroad from this threat and stand ready to assist other European allies considering similar options,” wrote the department.
'I just want a chance', says migrant who attempted crossing
When he heard the border had been breached, Abdulah Buji jumped on his motorbike and raced from his home in northern Morocco toward Ceuta, joining tens of thousands of people trying to swim into the tiny Spanish territory in North Africa.
Like many of his fellow countrymen, Buji was inspired by the thought that this collective crossing could somehow unlock his dream of reaching Spain and starting a new life in Europe.
"Spain gives you the chance to make your future, not like Morocco," said Buji, a 21-year-old who is studying to be a teacher. "I am a talented boy. I just want a chance."
But his elation at setting foot on Spanish soil was quickly followed by the disheartening realization that he was still far from his ultimate goal.
Mainland Europe rested across the Mediterranean, and he and the new arrivals were unwanted. Spanish authorities ordered everyone to turn around and go back or face eventual expulsion.
Buji said he almost joined more than 50 people who died trying to reach Ceuta while swimming around a border fence. He made it across, but he lost his belongings and money in the crossing.
When he realized that he would likely face legal limbo and detention, he turned around and headed back.
"I've spent perhaps 14 years studying, but there's nothing at home, and I'd have to work 12-hour shifts for a meager wage," Buji said. “That's why I came here, but I haven't found any opportunities here either, so I have to go back."
JD Vance claims crisis is result of 'radical left-wing globalist policies'
The US vice president has claimed that the migrant crisis in Cueta is a consequence of “radical left-wing globalist policies”, in a criticism of Pedro Sanchez’s government.
JD Vance wrote on X: “These images out of Spain are an unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration and the radical left-wing globalist policies that have enabled the Invasion of the West.”
Russia 'using Ceuta crisis to sow destabilisation' across Europe
Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out an “intensive propaganda campaign” using pictures from Ceuta to “sow destabilisation”.
Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha claimed that Ukrainian analysts have identified more than 1,500 publications on a pro-Russian network, led by Pravda and RT.
“For years, Moscow has used migration and other sensitive topics to stoke fear and destabilise European countries,” he wrote on X.