Morocco 'facilitated migrants crossing into Spain' amid Schengen crisis - as 57 die and some turn back from Ceuta because 'there are too many people here'

- Get your news delivered straight to you by 7am - sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREE - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Morocco has been accused of facilitating the mass influx of around 60,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Around 60,000 people swam from Morocco into the Spanish city located on the northern coast of North Africa on Thursday. The Spanish territory, which shares a land border with the North African country, was overrun as tens of thousands of migrants arrived in just 24 hours. Arrivals in Ceuta alleged that Moroccan police officers encouraged them as they journeyed towards the enclave. Youssef Alaoui, 26, said officers were guiding his group as they approached, pointing them in the correct direction. 'They just kept saying, "Go that way, go that way",' Mr Alaoui told The New York Times. Meanwhile, Mohammed Ahmidho, 37, who heard about the surge of migrants into Spain via social media, said he heard officers saying 'Come to Spain' as he neared the border. Lorenzo Gabrielli, a senior researcher at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona who researches migration in Ceuta, told the newspaper earlier on Friday: 'It is impossible for nearly 50,000 people to cross the border between Morocco and Spain in a single day without Morocco having a hand in it.' Fifty-seven bodies have since been found on the Spanish side of the border, a Spanish government representative in Ceuta said. Some are said to have drowned while others were crushed trying to climb the breakwater that holds the border fence, they added. Armed services restrain a migrant after arriving on Tarajal beach after crossing the border between Spain and Morocco Spain has claimed it is under 'attack' as Europe threatens to close its border with the country while the government battles to manage a massive wave of migrants People walk on a beach as they attempt to cross from the Moroccan northern town of Fnideq to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on July 31 Fifty-seven bodies have since been found on the Spanish side of the border, a Spanish government representative in Ceuta said Some are said to have drowned while others were crushed trying to climb the breakwater that holds the border fence, they added Spanish security forces take measures as migrants arrive on the shore of the Spanish city of Ceuta in North Africa after attempting to swim from Morocco on July 31 More casualties may be on the Moroccan side, a Spanish government representative in Ceuta added More casualties may be on the Moroccan side as hundreds have been seen returning as they said they were unable to find food or shelter in the Spanish enclave. 'Honestly, I don't even know why I came, and now I'm going back,' a young Moroccan man from Tangier said. 'I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, even though I brought some money with me. What we're doing is neither good nor enjoyable.' Meanwhile, Western intelligence sources have claimed the sudden influx may be a demonstration of the country's leverage amid diplomatic tensions with Spain. And while Spain claimed it was under 'attack' as it battled to manage the huge wave of migrants, sources told the Telegraph said it was 'surprising that 60,000 can travel unchecked' through Morocco. But they have insisted that it was too soon to reach an absolute conclusion on what sparked the surge of migrants. Some Moroccans claimed to have been guided by viral social media posts covering a Spanish immigration loophole. It comes as Spain's Supreme Court recently ruled that migrants who are stopped at sea attempting to reach Melilla or Ceuta, both Spanish enclaves, could not be summarily sent back to Morocco. Amid the chaos, Italy has suspended its EU border-free Schengen arrangements with the Mediterranean country. Earlier, it said it was weighing up 'extraordinary measures' including closing its open-border agreement with the country in response to recent events. Italy does not have a land border with Spain; however, the move will affect those travelling by plane or boat between the two countries. A member of the armed services guard migrants going back to Morocco after crossing the border between Spain and Morocco on July 31, 2026 People pose for a photo as they attempt to cross from the Moroccan northern town of Fnideq to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Friday People walk past burnt out cars at the site of clashes at the Bab Sebta border crossing near Fnideq, Morocco, 31 July 2026 Morocco is said to have facilitated the mass influx of around 60,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Western intelligence sources believe Migrants rest after crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026 Meanwhile, when the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, arrived for a meeting with officials in Ceuta, he was heckled. He branded the incident as 'an attack' and 'a violation of the territorial integrity of Spain'. It comes as Mr Sanchez is facing growing criticism after his government launched a programme earlier this year to provide legal status for some 500,000 undocumented migrants. Meanwhile, the Italian interior ministry also said it had agreed with Paris to tighten controls along the Franco-Italian border. France has said it will introduce stricter measures for its Spanish borders, as Finland backed calls for the Mediterranean country to be booted out of the Schengen area, which allows passport-free travel between 29 European countries. The chaos in Ceuta also spread to Spain's second North African enclave of Melilla overnight, with warning shots reportedly fired from both sides of the border between Morocco and Melilla on Friday as police attempted to contain the crowds. The African enclaves endured a night of chaos with cars torched and migrants forcing their way into buildings after the unprecedented influx on Thursday. Extraordinary footage showed huge numbers of people sprinting up beaches, swimming ashore and dispersing into the streets of Ceuta, which borders Morocco, with some shouting 'Long live Spain.' Moroccan security forces use water cannons as crowds gather near the border with Ceuta Spain's socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was heckled today as he arrived in Ceuta Migrants move along a security fence topped with razor wire near the border with Ceuta as they attempt to reach the Spanish-administered territory People walk through water to enter Spain. Around 60,000 people swam from Morocco into the enclave of Ceuta on Thursday, with more said to be arriving A youth climbs under a fence back to Morocco next to Spanish military officers keeping watch Italy's government said it was considering 'extraordinary measures' including closing the open border Schengen agreement with Spain A vehicle burns at the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31 The rush started on Thursday afternoon and carried on well into the night In an escalation of the crisis on Friday morning, Italy's government said it was considering 'extraordinary measures' including closing the open border Schengen agreement with Spain. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: 'The images coming from Ceuta are striking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe's borders.' France said it will tighten its borders with Spain, with the interior minister giving 'instructions to immediately step up controls' across their borders. Finland said it backs an Italian call for Spain to be excluded from Europe's passport-free Schengen area. 'Spain has completely failed to protect the Schengen Area's external border from infiltration. This cannot continue,' Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said on X. 'Countries that do not fulfil their obligation to protect the external border cannot be members of Schengen.' Across the pond, US President Donald Trump also weighed in, claiming the 'terrible' migrant crisis facing Spain in its territory of Ceuta is what the United States will face if the opposition Democratic Party wins elections. 'It's terrible. Remember that picture. That's going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in,' he was quoted as saying by Fox News. 'If the Democrats get in, you will not live a very good life.' The president of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas, declared a 'total humanitarian and social emergency' and called for changes to Spain's immigration framework, saying legal shortcomings exposed by a recent Supreme Court ruling needed to be addressed. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned under the enclaves' special border-rejection regime. The ruling established that migrants who arrive by sea cannot be immediately pushed back across the border without due process, unlike those who cross into Spain by land – by climbing over the border fence, for example. Madrid's interior ministry accused human trafficking networks of exploiting that to 'encourage the flow of undocumented migrants'. 'The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,' the ministry said. The death toll from Thursday alone was 18, but many more are believed to have perished in the run-up to the mass influx. Although the border crossing appeared blocked, groups of migrants moved along the coast seeking routes around the fence and some prepared to swim. Last night, the Beni-Enza border between Morocco and Spain was closed following the arrival of hundreds of North Africans into Melilla, 140 miles east of Ceuta by air and 240 miles east by road. Melilla's President Juan Jose Imbroda said between 300 and 400 Moroccans were believed to have breached the border. 'The actions of the Civil Guard, the National Police, and the local police, who are working together, are exemplary. They are acting perfectly, and the situation has been contained quite well,' he said. He went on to admit the border emergency experienced in Ceuta 'could occur here as well'. The security reinforcements dispatched to Ceuta include eight divers, a boat and drones, the ministry said. Spain's state broadcaster RTVE broadcast images of burned cars on the Moroccan side of the border after reported clashes. Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, called the situation a 'serious humanitarian crisis', saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and sidewalks, while others roamed the streets aimlessly. 'People are still entering. The reinforcements that have arrived are only helping the injured and other humanitarian efforts,' he said. 'It's chaotic.' Among the 18 who died, many drowned, Mr Sbihi said, but some were also killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco. On Thursday, video footage showed throngs of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters onto local roads. Moroccan security forces detain a man attempting to cross from the Moroccan northern town of Fnideq to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta People gather along the fence close to the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border People who have just entered Spain walk back to Morocco, as in the background, people waddle through water to enter Spain Members of Moroccan security forces gather next to an overturned damaged vehicle at the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 Moroccan security forces stand guard as they disperse people attempting to cross from the Moroccan northern town of Fnideq to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on July 31, 2026 Vehicles burn in Fnideq, Morocco, July 31, as migrants (not pictured) wait for a chance to cross to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta Migrants gather around a torched vehicle while waiting for a chance to cross to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, on the Moroccan side of the border in Fnideq, Morocco, July 31 People stand next to a burned bus as migrants wait for a chance to cross to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta Security forces prevented the migrants from crossing during the night between Thursday and Friday Madrid is sending troops to bolster security in its North African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants swam from Morocco into the territory on Thursday Migrants reach Spanish territory after swimming from Morocco to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa Spanish soldiers patrol near the Spanish-Moroccan border in Ceuta, Spain, as migrants try to cross the border by the sea, July 31 The president of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas, declared a 'total humanitarian and social emergency' and called for changes to Spain's immigration framework, saying legal shortcomings exposed by a recent Supreme Court ruling needed to be addressed Members of Moroccan security forces escort women from the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 Following the chaos, officials in Ceuta begged the national government in Madrid to declare a national emergency, which was rebuffed. Government officials claimed that the migration crisis was not a good enough reason to call a national emergency but promised additional resources after police unions decried the lack of personnel and equipment in Ceuta. On Thursday night, Spain's interior ministry announced that 60 members of the armed forces would be deployed to Ceuta, along with an additional 30 Guardia Civil officers. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government would provide 'an immediate response' to the situation, which echoes the border crisis in 2021 when more than 8,000 people arrived in just two days. 'We're mobilising all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normality as soon as possible,' he said in a post on X. 'I just conveyed this to President Vivas. This is the moment to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation.' Mr Vivas had asked for more police and for the army to be deployed on the border 'to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety'. Among those hoping to cross into the enclave of 85,000 were women and children from Morocco and Sub-Saharan Africa. Moroccan authorities deployed water cannon trucks and reinforced security at the crossing gates, repeatedly pushing back migrants attempting to approach. Nearby stood the charred remains of a bus and seven vehicles, left after clashes that erupted as authorities sought to stop the crowds, according to Reuters witnesses. Another migrant said he had been caught in a stampede during an attempted crossing. 'I feared for my life,' said the migrant, who declined to give his name, as he described chaotic scenes of people pushing and stepping on one another along a narrow coastal route. Traffic clogged roads into Fnideq as would-be migrants, including minors, continued to arrive. Some trudged along the highway into the city late into the night, while others took mountain paths to avoid checkpoints. Security forces repeatedly turned back people making concerted rushes on the crossing through the night hours, while migrants regrouped on roads, hills and open spaces across the city. Spain's socialist government stands out in Europe for its pro-migrant stance, and has recently launched a programme to provide legal status for some 500,000 undocumented migrants, triggering an influx of applications double that number. Migrants return to Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026 Migrants remain on the beach near the Tarajal border crossing in Ceuta, Spain, 31 July 2026 Members of Moroccan security forces take their position next to an overturned damaged vehicle at the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 Migrants arrive on the shore of the Spanish city of Ceuta in North Africa after attempting to swim from Morocco on July 31, 2026 Damaged vehicles are pictured at the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 A group of migrants remains on the beach near the Tarajal border crossing in Ceuta, Spain Smoke billows from the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 People gather along the fence close to the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 Upon their arrival, the migrants, largely made up of people from Morocco and Algeria, went into the city of around 84,000 Migrants from Morocco react as they crossed into Ceuta by sea, at the border between the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and Morocco, as seen from Ceuta, Spain, July 30, 2026 Some migrants were detained and transported outside the city, while security operations continued across the area Moroccan authorities deployed water cannon trucks and reinforced security at the crossing-gates, repeatedly pushing back migrants attempting to approach People react as they stand at the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border Members of Moroccan security forces gather at the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 Migrants return to Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Friday, July 31, 2026 Early on Friday, Fatima Mahli, 23, sat with her two daughters on a patch of grass beside the road to the crossing. The resident of Morocco's northern city of Tetouan said her husband had left before dawn to try to swim to Ceuta. 'I thought I could cross by foot through the border. But we are stuck here, unable to go back home,' she said. 'I was hoping to cross as a family but my husband woke up early and went first, swimming.' The rush of migrants started on Thursday afternoon, and carried on well into the night, even after Spanish military units were deployed to the enclave from the mainland. Even after the crossing was closed off following the surge of people, hundreds were seen at the border in the Moroccan town of Fnideq. Upon their arrival, the migrants, largely made up of people from Morocco and Algeria, went into the city of around 84,000. In response, enraged Spanish citizens were seen taking to the streets to push them back. Many were seen waving Spanish flags and screaming at them. As a group of migrants were seen running away, a loud police siren was heard in the background. Terrifying footage showed scores of people seemingly breaking into homes across the city late at night. One clip appeared to show a man on top of a ladder, hitting a first-floor window with an object. After migrants flooded into the city, many local shops chose to close early. Many still remain shut on Friday. Enrique Serrano, who runs a women's clothing store in central Ceuta, told Reuters business owners were organising self-defence because they believed police resources would be insufficient. 'I'm not opening this afternoon because the situation is extremely tense... The first thing I have to do is protect my business and my family,' he said, adding that when the fence was breached after midnight, hundreds of migrants rushed through in a matter of minutes. 'We are running short of bread. There was no fresh bread today because the bakeries are closed,' Miguel Angel Campana, a municipal street cleaner in Ceuta, told AFP. He said residents feared migrants would force their way into homes 'asking for water and other things' and he urged people to 'watch your balconies'. People gather on a hilltop close to the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 Hundreds of migrants have attempted to swim from Morocco to the Spanish city of Ceuta in North Africa, while the number of arrivals exceeded 1,500 in just over a week, according to local news in Ceuta, Spain on July 30 Security forces stand guard as people attempt to cross from the northern Moroccan town of Fnideq to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Thursday, July 30, 2026 People gather on a hilltop as smoke billows from the site of clashes near Fnideq, on the Morocco-Spain border, on July 31, 2026 Some migrants were stopping cars in the road to ask for food, money or to use mobile phones to call their families, AFP reporters said. The Confederation of Businesses of Ceuta has advised shops and other commercial establishments to remain closed 'until security can be guaranteed'. Even before Thursday's mass influx, local officials said that around 1,500 migrants managed to get into Ceuta by sea in recent days. President Vivas said: 'The reception centres are saturated - there is no more room for anyone in them and according to yesterday's figures the number of people entering is more than 200 a day.' He added that facilities for unaccompanied minors were operating at 2,400 per cent of capacity. As of July 15, well before the latest rush, nearly 3,000 migrants had entered Ceuta by land or sea since the start of the year, according to ministry figures. Ceuta, which is perched on a historical isthmus, has been in Spanish possession since 1580. Its mixed population of Christians and Muslims, Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers, lives in relative harmony behind a border fence that many desperate migrants from across Africa attempt to cross for a better life in Europe.