Video clips show crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, on the breakwaters, on the road and on Tarajal beach in Ceuta on the African mainland.
Most migrants appear to be young men, but families with children are also seen on the cliffs.
"It's total chaos. It's impossible to say exactly how many people there are, but thousands are crossing (the border)," Rachid Sbihi, head of the Guardia Civil police union, told the AP.
Several dead bodies found
In the chaos, there was also tragedy. Spanish news agency Efe reports that at least ten people have lost their lives trying to cross the border.
More migrants may arrive. According to El País, thousands of waiting migrants have formed a five-kilometer queue to cross the border.
The Interior Ministry promises to protect the residents of Ceuta and Spain's borders, but according to the AP also says that the government will not declare a state of emergency. However, the military is being sent to Ceuta to help the Guardia Civil.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is also traveling there, accompanied by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. They are expected to face criticism from local authorities, who, according to Spanish media, blame the situation on the government's "passive attitude."
Italy wants to port Spain
The crisis has echoed in Europe. The EU has offered help from the border agency Frontex, writes El País, and EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner writes on X that the union is closely monitoring the situation and that it has contacted Moroccan authorities for help in preventing more migrants from trying to reach Ceuta.
Italy announces that it wants to go further than that, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni writes on social media that the country is considering at least temporarily excluding Spain from the Schengen zone.
"We will not back down one millimeter when it comes to illegal immigration," she warns.
According to Efe, Spain and Morocco have agreed to return "as soon as possible" anyone who crossed the border without permission. The news agency writes that Moroccan police are using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds.
Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish city on the Moroccan border, are the EU's only land borders with Africa. Many African migrants try to enter through these routes, either by climbing over fences at the border or swimming along the coast, then trying to make their way to mainland Europe.
