- Spain has announced it will impose border controls against Italy as tensions rise over the Ceuta migrant influx.
- Italy has stated that Spanish and EU citizens are exempt from additional checks, but reports indicate long queues and waiting times at Italian airports.
- Passengers arriving in Madrid have reported needing to show passports, with one passenger stating they were told they couldn't disembark without documents.
- Most of the migrants who arrived in Ceuta last week were returned within days, with 100 believed dead during the crossing and nearly 1,400 minors still remaining.
Spain has imposed border controls on all air and sea travel from Italy as tensions rise over a migrant influx into Ceuta, where approximately 78,000 migrants have arrived from Morocco. The measures, effective for a month, follow Italy's similar restrictions.1678
The crisis has intensified the political divide between Spain's socialist leader Pedro Sanchez and Italy's conservative leader Giorgia Meloni, who advocates for stricter EU migration policies. Spain's government argues that Italy's justification for border checks is based on "spurious arguments" since migrants in Ceuta cannot enter the Schengen area.
On Friday, Spain demanded Italy reverse its checks by Sunday, but Rome plans to maintain them until at least 15 August, anticipating a new wave of migration. Italy claims that Spanish and EU citizens are exempt from additional checks, yet reports indicate confusion at airports, with long queues for travelers from Spain.23
A passenger arriving in Madrid reported that all passengers had to show passports, stating, "They told us we couldn't get off the plane without showing our documents." Another traveler confirmed being stopped for identification checks.45
Spain's checks will remain until 7 September, unless circumstances change. Most migrants from Ceuta have been returned, but nearly 1,400 minors remain, with reports of 100 deaths during crossings.
“Nearly 1,400 minors, some "very young boys and girls," remain in Ceuta after most migrants were returned within days, with 100 believed dead during the crossing. Italy exempts Spanish and EU citizens from extra checks, but long queues have formed at Italian airports as officials struggle to distinguish travellers.”
BBC
