Spain slams Italy after Schengen exclusion call over Ceuta migrant crisis

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - MADRID — Spain on Thursday blasted Italy's "demagoguery" for calling for its exit from the Schengen zone after hordes of migrants arrived from Morocco in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.

It also summoned Italy's ambassador to Madrid to lodge a protest.

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said earlier Thursday he was "in favor of closing the Schengen area with Spain", claiming "Irregular and uncontrolled immigration poses a danger to national security."

"The images coming from Ceuta show how the Madrid government's decision to grant Spanish, and therefore European, citizenship to over 500,000 irregular immigrants is profoundly wrong and encourages human trafficking," he said, apparently referring to the Spanish government's previous move to give legal status to some undocumented migrants.

The message from the Italian foreign minister "is improper" for "a partner and friendly country from which we expect European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery", Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Luis Albares said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoed Tajani's words in another post on social media, saying Rome was ready to take "extraordinary measures" to defend Italy's borders, including through the "suspension of the Schengen area with Spain."

The Schengen Area is a system of open borders that encompass 29 European countries that have officially abolished frontier controls at their common borders.

Madrid said on Thursday that it would deploy the army to Ceuta to reinforce security after the crossings, which saw many migrants swim around the border fence. Nine people reportedly died attempting to reach Ceuta.

It comes after the enclave's regional president urged Madrid to declare a national emergency and assume control of the situation in the autonomous city, warning that local authorities had become overwhelmed by the surge in illegal crossings.

The Spanish Interior Ministry had initially ruled out declaring a national emergency. It later announced the deployment of troops to help restore order and reinforce security in the territory.

Meanwhile, the European Commissioner for Migration, Austria's Magnus Brunner, said he was in constant contact with the Spanish authorities and stressed that protecting the EU's external borders remains "a crucial part of our efforts to fight illegal migration".

The European Commission said it had offered operational support through Frontex.

The Hundreds of people reached Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday, swimming or using inflatable devices to arrive at Tarajal beach, overwhelming Civil Guard officers.

Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska is expected to travel to Ceuta to meet local officials and assess the situation. The two countries said they had agreed a procedure to accelerate returns, although no timeline or figures were made public.

The Spanish Interior Ministry also said human trafficking networks may be exploiting a recent court ruling to encourage undocumented migrants to attempt the crossing. Rabat blamed traffickers too, even-though its law enforcement also handles the border.

Moroccan diplomatic sources said the increase in irregular crossings did not reflect any intention by the authorities in Rabat to facilitate or promote illegal migration into Spain.

Spain's Civil Guard sources in Ceuta, however, questioned the level of Moroccan cooperation, arguing that support from the Moroccan Gendarmerie had been limited and insufficient to ease pressure at the border, despite the Spanish government's insistence that cooperation with Morocco remained active.