SPAIN INSTALLS BORDER BARRIER AFTER DEADLY MIGRANT SURGE INTO CEUTA LEAVES 67 DEAD. (PHOTO).

 Spain installs border barrier after deadly migrant surge into Ceuta leaves 67 dead

  

 Spain is installing a 500-meter-long containment barrier along the maritime border between its North African territory of Ceuta and Morocco after tens of thousands of migrants crossed the frontier earlier this week in a mass breach.

The death toll from the incident has risen to 67, with victims including people who drowned and others who died during a chaotic rush to cross a breakwater barrier, according to Spanish officials.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized calls from some European leaders to suspend Spain from the European Union’s Schengen free-travel zone, saying such reactions were based on misinformation, political motives or prejudice. He called for a coordinated European response to border security challenges.

Spanish authorities said most of the migrants who entered Ceuta have already returned to Morocco. Some exhausted migrants who reached the city’s Tarajal beach by swimming were escorted back across the border by Spanish soldiers.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska defended cooperation with Morocco, saying the two countries worked together to restore control of the situation within 24 hours. He said Morocco remains a reliable partner and not a threat to Ceuta or Spain.

The situation has prompted calls from leaders of 22 European Union countries for an emergency meeting of interior ministers to discuss migration and border security. The leaders warned that uncontrolled border crossings could undermine confidence in the EU’s migration policies and encourage further attempts to enter the bloc illegally.

Sánchez also requested a meeting of EU interior ministers, saying border security should be considered a shared responsibility among all member states rather than a burden placed only on countries located along the EU’s external borders.

The dispute has created tensions among some European nations, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni threatening to suspend Italy’s open-border agreement with Spain and restore border controls for travelers arriving from Spain.

Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants who crossed into Ceuta returned to Morocco, with many saying they chose to leave voluntarily after facing difficult conditions. Some described sleeping outdoors, struggling to find food and experiencing poor treatment after reaching the Spanish territory.

Many of those returning were Moroccan nationals, while others came from sub-Saharan Africa. Some migrants reported injuries and said they had endured harsh conditions while waiting in Ceuta.

The area around the border remained heavily affected by the unrest, with damaged vehicles, lingering smoke and increased security measures visible along roads leading to the crossing.

Officials in Ceuta said the return process had begun successfully but needed to be completed. Some migrants who successfully entered the territory remained determined to stay, despite restrictions and difficult living conditions.