Spain says most migrants who crossed into Ceuta have returned to Morocco

"Departures from Ceuta are taking place at a rate of 150 people per minute," the ministry wrote on Friday afternoon.

The figures for how many people have entered the Spanish exclave in the past 24 hours vary. The Spanish Interior Ministry says it is just over 50,000 people.

At least 57 people have died trying to reach Spain, according to El País. Most drowned while trying to swim around a breakwater on the border. A search operation with divers from the Spanish police and the Guardia Civil is underway in the water.

Chaotic scenes

Guardia Civil representatives testified on Friday about chaotic scenes in Ceuta, with thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, on the city's streets and in parks.

Spanish media link the events to an interpretation of a decision by Spain's Supreme Court, which states that people who reach Spain by swimming may not be sent back.

Critics also say that Morocco has previously used the migration issue as a means of putting pressure on the EU. They also point out that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made a controversial visit to Morocco's neighbor and old archenemy Algeria this week.

"This is about diplomacy more than border security," writes Jeremy Cliffe at the think tank ECFR.

The military supports

The borders with Ceuta and Melilla, which is also a Spanish exclave bordering Morocco, have been formally closed. The military has also been called in to support the Guardia Civil.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the "violation of Spain's territorial integrity" during his visit to Ceuta on Friday, El País reports. He blames the migrant crisis on human traffickers and says that dialogue with Moroccan authorities since Thursday has been "constant, smooth and very reasonable."

Meanwhile, Italy is suspending Schengen cooperation on free movement with Spain, Reuters reports. Although Italy has no land borders with Spain, the measures will affect people traveling by plane or boat between the two countries, the news agency writes.

Sánchez says in a post on X that "it is not time to divide" but rather "time to continue building a strong and united EU." He also refers to figures from the EU border agency Frontex that show that most irregular entries into the EU in recent years have occurred via Italy.