Spain imposes border checks on Italian travellers amid Ceuta migration dispute

Spain's interior ministry announced Friday that it will impose temporary border checks on travellers arriving from Italy starting at midnight Saturday, lasting until September 7. The move is a direct response to border controls Italy introduced after a massive migrant influx into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta.

The dispute erupted after tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30-31 in an unprecedented and deadly rush. The scale of the crossing angered EU member states favouring strict irregular migration policies, including Italy, whose government suspended its visa-free Schengen arrangement with Spain for one month.

Spain's government on Friday condemned the Italian measure as unfair, contrary to EU interests, and discriminatory towards the Spanish population. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described it as a blow to European unity and demanded Italy lift the checks, warning of proportional countermeasures if Rome failed to comply by Sunday.

Italy holds firm

The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said it would not reconsider its decision before August 15, citing expectations from Spanish authorities of a fresh migration wave toward Ceuta. Rome's office stated that Italy does not accept ultimatums from abroad on matters of national security and border control, and that checks would only be reconsidered once there was certainty of no security risks, no new migration wave, and no irregular migrants heading toward European territory.

Spanish police have reportedly been monitoring online rumours about a possible new wave of arrivals in mid-August, though authorities have not officially confirmed such expectations. Italy, which shares no land border with Spain, applied its controls at maritime and air entry points for third-country nationals arriving from Spain.

Death toll disputed

Of the roughly 72,000 people who entered Ceuta, some 70,000 have already returned to Morocco, according to Spanish official figures. Spanish authorities have recorded 80 deaths during the crossings, while Moroccan human rights groups estimate the toll to be higher, citing at least 141 deaths with the number likely to rise further. Morocco's interior ministry reported 11 deaths on its side of the border.

Those still in Ceuta, including hundreds of unaccompanied children, face harsh conditions with limited access to food, water and shelter.