Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday planned to head to the country’s north African exclave after tens of thousands of undocumented migrants crossed the border overnight. 

Spain sent troops to the Ceuta enclave to reinforce the Civil Guard and help maintain security after waves of people crossed from Morocco around the frontier fence to enter Spanish territory, many swimming around the border.

Spain’s ​Interior ​Ministry said on Friday that ​according ‌to ⁠its ‌estimates some ⁠49,000 migrants had crossed ​into ‌the exclave over the past 24 ​hours. 

At least 18 people have died trying to reach the city, a ministry spokesperson said.

‘It’s chaotic’

Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers described the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis”.

“People are still entering. The reinforcements that have arrived are only helping the injured and other humanitarian efforts,” he said.

Without shelter, thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and sidewalks, with others roaming the streets aimlessly, he said.

“It’s chaotic,” he added.

Among the 18 people who died, many drowned but some were also killed in the stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, Sbihi said.

Migration from Morocco into Spain’s two north African territories, Ceuta and Melilla, has long been a sensitive issue between the two countries, as thousands of people cross the border at times.

Italy on Thursday called for Spain to be suspended from Europe‘s open-borders Schengen zone, prompting Spain to summon Italy’s ambassador to Madrid.

On Thursday, AFP reporters saw a stream of adults and children entering Ceuta after having swum there. Discarded flotation rings and clothes were abandoned on the shore near where the border barrier meets the sea.

Sanchez will visit the Tarajal border crossing with Interior Minister Fernando Gramnde-Marlaska on Friday, the government said in a statement.

Ceuta and Melilla have Europe’s only two land borders with Africa.

Behind the scenes

Migrants walked through the streets of Ceuta, thanking the Spanish police and calling out: “Bye bye, Morocco, hello Spain.”

Police and Civil Guards in Ceuta appeared to do little to intervene, although some officers attempted to direct the arrivals to the local migrant reception centre.

Morocco’s authorities had not yet issued an official statement on the influx of people, but a Moroccan official source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the two countries had spoken about the matter.

In 2021, more than 10,000 migrants reached Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco over the course of two days, taking advantage of a loosening of border controls by Rabat during a crisis between the two countries.

That dispute erupted after Spain decided to host the leader of the Sahrawi independence movement, the Polisario Front, for medical treatment.

Polisario guerrillas fought a long war with Morocco over independence of the Western Sahara region. Morocco’s neighbour Algeria had supported the Polisario group.

That diplomatic crisis ended in 2022 when Madrid reversed its long-standing policy of neutrality and backed Morocco’s plan for Western Sahara – a move that had caused a diplomatic rift between Madrid and Algiers.

Sanchez visited Algiers on July 20 – the first such visit by a Spanish head of government in four years – marking a thaw in relations with Algeria. (France 24)

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The Spanish government is deploying extra troops and police officers to its north African enclave of Ceuta after thousands of people swam and waded into the tiny territory from neighbouring Morocco in a matter of hours.

Videos shot at Tarajal beach on Thursday showed crowds of people walking around the breakwaters and running on the beach and roads.

Most appeared to be young men, but there were also families with women and children. “Viva España!” some shouted to a freelance photographer working for the Associated Press, who was filming the scene.

A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil force, which polices Spain’s borders, said ⁠the migrants were “massively entering from the sea” through the Tarajal breakwater, but could not provide an estimate of the numbers.

On Thursday evening, Spain’s interior ministry announced that 60 members of the armed forces would be deployed to Ceuta, along with an additional 30 Guardia Civil officers. “The armed forces will reinforce the Guardia Civil in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,” the ministry said.

But it rejected calls for the declaration of a national emergency, saying such emergencies could not be declared over migration issues, and could be declared only in response to dire meteorological events – such as the current wildfires – or in the face of a volcanic or nuclear threat.

Sánchez said his government would provide “an immediate response” to the situation in Ceuta, which echoes the border crisis in 2021 when more than 8,000 people arrived in just two days.“We’re mobilising all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normality as soon as possible,” he said in a post on X. “I just conveyed this to President Vivas. This is the moment to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation.”

Ceuta and Spain’s other north African territory of Melilla make up the EU’s only land border with Africa. Both cities periodically experience crowds of would-be migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Spain’s national broadcaster, TVE, reported that between 2,000 and 3,000 people had crossed into Ceuta, while the state news agency, Efe, said some had entered the territory by scaling the high border fence.

Efe also reported that Moroccan authorities in riot gear were using teargas and water cannon to disperse people near the border.

“The situation is absolute chaos,” said Rachid Sbihi, the head of the association that represents Guardia Civil officers in Ceuta. “It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing.” He added that the border had “totally collapsed”.

Agence France-Presse quoted a government spokesperson as saying that nine bodies had been recovered.

Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, described the situation as “exceptional”. He said the Tarajal border had been opened “under unusual circumstances” on Thursday morning and people had crossed over.

Juan Jesús Vivas, the president of Ceuta, demanded the deployment of additional police and troops “to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier” and citizens’ safety. He also called on the central government to declare a national emergency over the crossings.

Vivas had said on Wednesday that migrant reception centres were overwhelmed, with hundreds of people sleeping on the streets. He said Ceuta needed “more resources, more infrastructure, more regulation and effective coordination between all the administrations”.

“We’re not looking for privileges; we’re looking for a fair and responsible solution in line with our reality,” he added.

This month ​Spain’s supreme court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be summarily returned under the enclaves’ special border rejection regime.

The Guardia Civil spokesperson told Reuters: “It has been a slow trickle since the supreme court’s ruling, but today has been an explosion.”

The latest arrivals sparked tensions with Italy, whose prime minister and foreign minister called for Spain to be suspended from the EU’s visa-free Schengen travel zone.

Giorgia Meloni said on X: “We are convening the relevant bodies, and following these meetings, 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.”

When foreign minister Antonio Tajani made a similar call earlier in the day, his Spanish counterpart, Jose Luis Albares, accused him of weaponising immigration for political ends. He said such remarks were “improper” for “a partner and friendly country from which we expect European solidarity and not partisan demagoguery”.

In Ceuta, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the conservative opposition People’s party, to which Vivas belongs, said the situation was desperate. “The government can’t look the other way, because we are facing a national security crisis,” he added.

Santiago Abascal, who leads the far-right Vox party, described the incident as an “invasion” and said those crossing into Ceuta were not fleeing war or poverty but had been summoned by Sánchez’s government to ensure he could remain in power.

Moroccan government sources attributed the surge to “criminal organisations” and said its cooperation with Spain remained “exemplary”.

The mass crossing into Ceuta in May 2021 came amid heightened tensions between Madrid and Rabat over Spain’s decision to allow a Western Sahara independence leader to be treated for Covid-19 in Spain.

Speaking at the time, Sánchez hinted at a link between the sudden relaxing of border controls and the diplomatic tensions.

“As the president of Spain, I believe firmly that Morocco is a partner country, it’s a country that is a friend of Spain and it should continue this way,” he said. “To be effective, this cooperation needs to always be based on respect. Respect for mutual borders.” (The Guardian)

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Spain has kicked off a program aimed at granting legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants, in a move that goes against a trend of anti-immigration rhetoric and policies in the United States and much of Europe.

The program, announced in January, intends to reduce labor exploitation in Spain’s underground economy. The country’s central bank and the United Nations have previously said that Spain needs around 300,000 migrant workers a year to sustain its welfare state.

Hundreds of migrants lined up outside migration offices to try to legalize their status on Monday as Spain opened an in-person application window.

Others queued outside city council buildings to obtain a certificate confirming they are in a state of vulnerability. Such a document is sometimes required to apply for regularization.

In Almería, a city on Spain’s southeastern coast, the line was so long that police had to turn people away for the day.

“I arrived at 6:30 a.m. There were already a lot of people. I’ll have to get up earlier,” Colombian migrant Enrique Solana told Reuters after an officer said officials would not be able to help all the migrants that day.

Spanish Migration Minister Elma Saiz said migrants must visit assigned offices by appointment and that in certain cases a vulnerability certificate is required.

She pushed back against concerns that the mass legalization measure would lead to more competition for jobs.

“Regularization is not competition. It is social justice and visibility. It is giving opportunities,” she said Monday on X.

When Spain announced the measure in January, Saiz said the country was “strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration, coexistence and compatibility with economic growth and social cohesion.”

She added that the new measure was “necessary to respond to a reality that exists on our streets” and would benefit the country’s economy.

The presidency has said the measure will allow a “dignified” life for migrants.

Foreigners who arrived in Spain before Dec. 31, 2025, and can prove they have been living in the country for at least five months will be granted legal residency of up to one year and work permits valid for any sector nationwide. They will need to prove they have no criminal record.

People are able to apply from the beginning of April until June 30. (CNN)

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The Spanish Government has expressed strong condemnation of statements by Israeli authorities claiming that the Israeli army has been ordered to destroy all bridges over the Litani River, as well as the homes of Lebanese civilians in neighbouring villages.

Issuing a statement, Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the move constitutes a flagrant and premeditated violation of international humanitarian law.

Civilian infrastructure, including homes and healthcare facilities, can never, under international law, be considered military targets. Such actions violate the most basic principles of international humanitarian law, destroying the lives of innocent civilians, it said. 

The Ministry further said that Spain categorically reiterates its condemnation of any attempt to isolate and divide Lebanese territory, and urges respect for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The Spanish Government further called on the international community to act to prevent impunity for these actions and to strengthen its support for the Lebanese Government’s efforts to consolidate sovereignty and territorial integrity under its authority. (Newswire)

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A Spanish court ordered Facebook owner Meta Platforms to pay local media outlets 479 million euros ($552.7 million) after a legal complaint over how the company processes user data for advertising.

Madrid’s commercial court said Thursday that it partially upheld a complaint alleging that Meta violated Spanish competition rules by breaching the European Union’s data-protection regulations.

It ordered the company to compensate 87 digital publishers and news agencies under the trade group Information Media Association (AMI), whose members include major outlets like business daily El Economista and national press agency EFE.

Meta said it disagreed with the ruling and would appeal. A spokesperson said the claim lacked evidence of alleged harm, and ignored how the online advertising industry works. Meta gives users opportunities to control their social-media experience, the spokesperson added.

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation–which came into force in 2018–sets out guardrails for how websites can handle user data and obliges them to seek consent to process it.

In an effort to comply with the legislation, the Instagram and Whatsapp owner in 2018 changed the legal reason it used to justify its processing of personal data, saying it was being necessary to carry out a contract for its services. It has since come under scrutiny from privacy watchdogs. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission fined the company 1.2 billion euros in 2023 over its practices. Meta then changed the legal basis to being dependent on user consent in August 2023.

The Spanish court said that Meta’s earnings in Spain between the GDPR coming into effect and its privacy changes in 2023 gave it a competitive advantage, and that money made while in breach of the rules should be shared with competitors in the country’s digital advertising market.

AMI said in a statement that the ruling marks a historic legal victory for the association. “It is a judicial recognition of the economic harm caused by unfair competition based on the undue use of personal data,” it said. (Dow Jones)

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Spain has announced sweeping measures against Israel, including a total arms embargo, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez saying the move is aimed at “stopping the genocide in Gaza” and “supporting the Palestinian population”.

“There is a difference between defending your country and bombing hospitals or starving innocent children,” Sanchez, one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, said in a speech posted from his official X account.

“This is an unjustifiable attack on the civilian population. Sixty thousand dead, two million displaced, half of them children. This is not self-defence … it is the extermination of a defenceless people.”

Central to the package, unveiled on Monday, is a royal decree law that will be approved by Spain’s cabinet and later ratified by parliament. The measure formalises what has been in effect since October 2023: a ban on the purchase and sale of weapons, ammunition and military equipment to Israel.

Spain will also prohibit ships carrying fuel for the Israeli army from docking at its ports, deny airspace access to aircraft transporting defence material, and bar entry to individuals “directly involved in genocide, human rights violations and war crimes” in Gaza, a restriction that could apply to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government.

Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have been issued an arrest warrant for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), but several European leaders have faced criticism for refusing to execute the ICC warrant. The United States, the closest ally of Israel and its main military funder, has even slapped sanctions on ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.

Other steps include banning imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Sanchez pledging 10 million euros ($11.7m) in new funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and a total of 150 million euros ($176m) in humanitarian aid for Gaza by 2026.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned Spain’s measures as “anti-Semitic” and accused Sanchez’s socialist government of leading a “hostile anti-Israel line, with uncontrolled and hateful rhetoric”.

Israel’s leaders have often conflated criticism of its human rights violations and abuse against Palestinians with anti-Semitism. Similar charges were levelled against French President Emmanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in August after they announced recognition of the Palestinian state and called for an end to the war in Gaza.

Israel also announced it would bar two Spanish ministers from entering the country.

Madrid swiftly rejected the allegations, summoning its ambassador in Israel back for consultations. Spain’s Foreign Ministry said it “strongly rejects the false and slanderous accusations of antisemitism made by the Israeli government” and that it would “not be intimidated in its defence of peace, international law and human rights”.

“The measures relating to the inhumane situation in Gaza and the West Bank, announced today by the President of the Spanish Government, reflect the majority opinion of Spanish society and are adopted within the framework of its sovereignty and in line with its defence of peace, human rights and international law,” the ministry added.

Spain formally recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024, joining a handful of European nations to do so. (Al Jazeera)

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The world’s oldest living person, Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera, who was born in the United States and lived through two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, the 1918 flu pandemic and the COVID pandemic, has died at the age of 117, her family said Tuesday.

“Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain,” her family wrote on her account on social network X.

“We will always remember her for her advice and kindness,” they said.

Branyas, who had lived for the last two decades in the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the town of Olot in northeastern Spain, had warned in a post on Tuesday that she felt “weak”.

“The time is near. Don’t cry, I don’t like tears. And above all, don’t suffer for me. Wherever I go, I will be happy,” she added in the account that is run by her family.

Guinness World Records had officially acknowledged Branyas’s status as the world’s oldest person in January 2023 following the death of French nun Lucile Randon at the age of 118.

In the wake of Branyas’s death, the oldest living person in the world is Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908 and is 116 years old, according to the U.S. Gerontology Research Group.

Branyas got Covid-19 in 2020 just weeks after ringing in her 113th birthday and was confined to her room at the home but made a full recovery.

Her youngest daughter, Rosa Moret, once attributed her mother’s longevity to “genetics”.

“She has never gone to the hospital, she has never broken any bones, she is fine, she has no pain,” Moret told regional Catalan television in 2023.

Branyas celebrated her 116th birthday in March 2023 at her residence home Santa Maria del Tura in Olot, Catalonia, Spain, surrounded by friends, fans and her 78-year-old daughter Rosa. Branyas was lucid and spoke fondly about her childhood, said Ben Meyers, CEO of LongeviQuest, a longevity company that unites super longevity researchers worldwide. 

Meyers, who was with her at the residence home, said she was touched by greetings from her many fans around the world.

“This warms my heart,” Branyas said.

Born on March 4, 1907, in California, one year after her parents emigrated to the U.S., Branyas spent the first few years of her life in San Francisco, according to Guinness. Eight years later, the family decided to return to Spain, where they settled in Catalonia. She married Joan Moret in 1931, according to Guinness World Records, and had three children, 11 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

Like most, she had her share of triumphs and tragedies. Among them, losing her father on the voyage from the U.S. to Spain from pulmonary tuberculosis, according to Guinness World Records.

Still, she told her social media followers, “Never, ever, become a bitter person no matter what.” (CBS/ AFP)

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