Spain installs floating barrier off Ceuta to curb migrant crossings

Spain has begun installing a floating barrier off the coast of Ceuta to prevent irregular migration attempts, following an unprecedented influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave that resulted in the deaths of at least 67 people. The surge has prompted several European Union countries to call for an emergency meeting to address the crisis.

The Spanish government said Civil Guard police began installing the 500-meter-long floating barrier on Saturday morning at Tarajal beach, one of the main crossing points into Ceuta. Authorities noted that attempted crossings dropped to nearly zero overnight.

Officials explained that the inflatable barrier, along with a line of marine buoys, will rise between 30 and 70 centimeters above the water and extend up to one meter below the surface. A passage will remain open to allow Civil Guard vessels to continue maritime patrols.

According to Spanish authorities, around 50,000 people have crossed into Ceuta by land and sea since Thursday. More than 48,000 migrants have been returned to Morocco within 48 hours, with no major incidents reported during the returns.

However, officials said at least 67 people have died on the Spanish side of the border, after some migrants drowned and others failed to overcome the breakwater and border fence.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska accused human trafficking networks of exploiting migrants and spreading misleading interpretations of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling on the return of migrants intercepted at sea.

During a visit to Ceuta, the minister said authorities had largely regained control of the situation over the past 24 hours, with police and military reinforcements still deployed in case of further developments. He stressed that "Morocco poses no threat to Ceuta or the rest of Spain; it is a completely reliable partner," adding that there was no intelligence indicating a mass influx was imminent.

Meanwhile, 22 EU governments have called for an emergency meeting of interior ministers, urging coordinated European support for Madrid in protecting the bloc's external borders and discussing additional assistance from the Frontex agency and a review of cooperation with Morocco.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also called for an urgent meeting of interior ministers, criticizing calls to exclude Spain from the Schengen area as "selfish, divisive, and illegal."

Madrid confirmed that migrants who entered Ceuta illegally will not be allowed to travel to mainland Spain or any other Schengen country, and that those leaving Ceuta by sea or air will undergo identity checks.

The Spanish government also rejected any link between its program to regularize the status of hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants and the recent surge in crossings, clarifying that only those who can prove they were in Spain before January 1, 2026, and have resided for five months at the time of application are eligible.