Spain begins installing floating barrier after massive migrant influx
What's the story
Spain has started installing a 500-meter floating barrier in Ceuta, its North African enclave. The move comes after a massive influx of migrants from Morocco, which left at least 67 people dead. The barrier is being installed on the Tarajal breakwater, a key entry point for migrants. It will float 30-70cm above water and extend up to one meter below the surface.
Crisis overview
What led to the migrant crisis
The migrant crisis began on Thursday when nearly 50,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco.
Most of them returned within 48 hours without major incidents. However, the rush led to tragic deaths as some migrants drowned or were crushed while trying to climb over barriers.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska blamed people-smuggling networks for misleading migrants about a recent Supreme Court ruling on migrant returns at sea.
EU response
Crisis divides European Union
The migrant crisis has divided the European Union, with 22 member states calling for an emergency meeting of interior ministers.
They urged the bloc to help Madrid regain control of its border with Morocco.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also asked EU leaders to convene interior ministers urgently but criticized governments that had called for Spain's exclusion due to this incident.
Border policy
Spain's more open approach toward migrants
Spain has a more open approach toward migrants than most of Europe, with plans to regularize over half a million undocumented migrants.
However, it rejects claims that this policy encouraged the rush into Ceuta, as applicants must prove residence before January 1, 2026.
Madrid said those who entered irregularly could not travel onwards to mainland Spain or elsewhere in the Schengen zone, while the Foreign Ministry said police checks would be conducted at sea or air exits from Ceuta.