Migrant Crisis in Ceuta, Pedro Sánchez Calls for Urgent Meeting of EU Interior Ministers

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has sent a letter to the European institutions expressing his concern over the response of several European Union governments to the migrant crisis in Ceuta.

In the letter, obtained by the Italian news agency ANSA, Sánchez calls for an urgent meeting of the interior ministers of the EU’s 27 member states, with the aim of “establishing a joint response” to the situation.

The head of the Spanish government stressed that “the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all member states, not only those on the European Union’s front line.”

Sánchez has called for greater EU involvement in managing the migration crisis, underscoring the need for a coordinated approach among member states.

At least 60,000 migrants are believed to have crossed into Ceuta from Moroccan territory over the past 24 hours. The figure was announced by the president of the Spanish enclave, Juan Jesús Vivas, who described the situation as an unprecedented crisis.

Of the approximately 60,000 people who entered Ceuta, at least 7,000 are minors and are therefore under the care of the authorities of the autonomous Spanish city. The death toll from attempts to cross the border by sea has exceeded 60.

According to the authorities, more than 48,000 migrants have already been returned to Morocco. “It is as if 34 million people entered Spain within 24 hours,” Vivas said, comparing the scale of the crisis with the country’s population.

Returns to Morocco

According to reports from the Madrid government, more than 37,500 migrants have been returned to Moroccan territory. Many are leaving by sea or land, saying that Ceuta is overcrowded, that they cannot find places to sleep, and that shops and bars mainly serve only local residents.