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Spain and Morocco reinforced the border fence of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Friday after an estimated 49,000 migrants crossed by sea and land in a single day, triggering a major security response and a political dispute within the European Union.

At least 19 bodies were found in the water after the mass rush toward the Spanish-held territory, according to officials.

Moroccan authorities deployed water cannon trucks at entry points into Ceuta and pushed back crowds attempting to cross. Near the border gates, the charred remains of a bus and seven vehicles were visible following clashes with the crowds.

The surge into Ceuta, a small Spanish territory on the North African coast surrounded by Morocco, appeared to have been brought under control by Friday, with authorities reinforcing security measures along the border.

Spain, Italy Clash Over Ceuta Migrant Surge After 49,000 Arrive

Spanish Soldiers patrol near the Spanish-Moroccan border in Ceuta, Spain, July 31, 2026, as migrants cross into Ceuta by sea and land. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

Spain’s Interior Ministry said earlier that it estimated around 49,000 migrants had entered Ceuta over the previous 24 hours as people rushed from Morocco by land and sea. A spokesperson for Spain’s Guardia Civil border police said migrants were “massively entering from the sea” through the Tarajal breakwater but could not provide a separate estimate of the numbers.

Spanish authorities said they would attempt to expel people who entered illegally as quickly as possible, despite a recent court ruling that placed restrictions on the use of special “border rejection” rules allowing immediate expulsions.

Spain's Interior Ministry estimated on Friday that around 49,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa over the previous 24 hours, as people attempted to enter from Morocco by sea and land.A spokesperson for Spain's Guardia Civil border police said migrants were "massively entering from the sea" through the Tarajal breakwater but could not provide an estimate of the number of people involved. More migrants were reported to have crossed into Ceuta overnight, with Spanish media reporting alleged "passivity" by Moroccan police during the influx. In response, the Spanish government said it was deploying additional troops and police officers to reinforce security at the border between the small Spanish territory and neighboring Morocco. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit Ceuta later on Friday. The sudden increase in arrivals also triggered a dispute within the European Union, after Italian officials called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen open-border area until it regained control of the situation. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in a rare direct clash between two EU countries, said images from Ceuta showed that "uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe's borders." "Italy will not stand by and watch. … We are prepared to intervene with extraordinary measures to defend the borders and the safety of citizens, including the suspension of the Schengen Area with Spain," Meloni said. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani backed the proposal, saying he supported suspending Spain from the Schengen area and linking the migration crisis to Spain's recent decision to regularize more than 500,000 undocumented migrants living in the country. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares criticized the Italian remarks, calling them "unbecoming of a foreign minister of a partner and friendly country" and dismissing them as "partisan demagoguery." He said he would summon the Italian ambassador to Madrid on Friday. Albares instead pointed to a recent Spanish Supreme Court decision, which ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be immediately returned under the enclaves' special border rejection system. Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the northern coast of Africa bordering Morocco, has long been a key route for migrants seeking entry into European territory.

Spanish Soldiers patrol near the Spanish-Moroccan border in Ceuta, Spain, July 31, 2026, as migrants cross into Ceuta by sea and land. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was expected to visit Ceuta on Friday with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.

Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city in northern Morocco, are the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. Each territory has a population of around 85,000 people.

@channelnewsasiaHundreds of migrants have crossed from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, prompting Madrid to deploy soldiers on Thursday (Jul 30) to reinforce security. Officials say at least nine migrants died trying to make the crossing, in the largest surge into the territory since 2021. It was not immediately clear what prompted so many people to cross to Ceuta.♬ original sound – CNA

Both enclaves periodically experience surges of migrants attempting to reach Europe, but nearly 50,000 arrivals in a single day appeared unprecedented. Spain described the situation as its biggest migration crisis since at least 2021.

Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said one possible factor behind the surge may have been a recent ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court stating that migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be immediately returned under the territories’ special border rejection system.

Spain, Italy Clash Over Ceuta Migrant Surge After 49,000 Arrive

Migrants from Morocco react as they crossed into Ceuta by sea, at the border between the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and Morocco, as seen from Ceuta, Spain, July 30, 2026. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Rift With Italy Over Schengen

The migration surge sparked a dispute between EU members, with Italy demanding that Spain be suspended from the Schengen area of open internal borders until it restores control of its frontier.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said images from Ceuta showed that “uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe’s borders.”

“Italy will not stand by and watch,” Meloni said, adding that her government was prepared to consider “extraordinary measures” to defend borders and citizens’ safety, including suspending the Schengen agreement with Spain.

Spain, Italy Clash Over Ceuta Migrant Surge After 49,000 Arrive

Migrants gather around a torched vehicle while waiting for a chance to cross to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, on the Moroccan side of the border in Fnideq, Morocco, July 31, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Ahmed El Jechtimi

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani backed the proposal, linking the crisis to Spain’s recent decision to regularize more than 500,000 undocumented migrants living in the country.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares criticized the Italian remarks, calling them “unbecoming of a foreign minister of a partner and friendly country” and dismissing them as “partisan demagoguery.” He said he would summon the Italian ambassador to Madrid on Friday.

Albares instead pointed to a recent Spanish Supreme Court decision, which ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be immediately returned under the enclaves’ special border rejection system.

Spain, Italy Clash Over Ceuta Migrant Surge After 49,000 Arrive

Migrants from Morocco arrive at the Spanish border, in Ceuta, Spain, July 31, 2026, as migrants cross into Ceuta by sea and land. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the northern coast of Africa bordering Morocco, has long been a key route for migrants seeking entry into European territory.