Italy will continue extraordinary border checks on passengers arriving from Spain until at least August 15, citing heightened security risks linked to the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the decision reflected concerns over terrorism and irregular migration, and drew sharp criticism from Spanish officials. Introduced on August 1, the checks applied to selected air and maritime connections between the two countries. They did not amount to a full border closure or suspend Schengen arrangements across the wider area.
Rome’s decision followed irregular arrivals from Morocco into the Spanish enclave on July 30 and 31. Initial reports put the number of arrivals at more than 70,000; a later tally citing Government of Ceuta figures raised it to at least 96,058, equivalent to about 115% of the enclave’s censused population. That figure covers the initial mass entry, not people remaining in Ceuta or those later returned to Morocco. Tajani said Italy could not relax its controls while the perceived risks persisted, including further irregular crossings and terrorist threats.
The Italian government maintained that Madrid was also aware of the risk of another large-scale migration attempt before August 15, although Spanish authorities had not publicly raised such concerns. Tajani called the continued checks precautionary and criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for what he described as an exaggerated response. He called Spain’s reciprocal checks on travelers arriving from Italy “incomprehensible and unacceptable.” Spain introduced those checks about a week after Rome’s move, extending the dispute to passengers on flights and maritime routes between the two countries.
Under the Schengen structure, member states may temporarily reintroduce internal border controls in exceptional circumstances involving a serious threat to public policy or internal security. Italy’s action so limited the usual border-free regime on specified routes without taking either country out of Schengen. The European Commission has described internal controls as a last resort and urged governments to use alternative security and surveillance measures where possible.
Tajani also renewed his criticism of Spain’s migration policy, arguing that Madrid’s approach of regularizing migrants sent a negative message and undermined security. Italian media, including Il Corriere della Sera, cited an intelligence assessment that described a potential risk of jihadist terrorism and warned that 30,000 to 50,000 people could attempt to enter Ceuta between August 10 and 15. The assessment was reportedly prepared with input from Spanish intelligence and noted the area’s history of cross-border extremist activity.
Italian authorities were also monitoring social media and messaging platforms, where they said they had detected coordinated efforts to organize another mass entry into Ceuta. They identified groups managed from Morocco and the United States, with others based in Egypt and Tunisia, as well as Libya and Senegal. Some groups were reportedly linked to people smugglers seeking to exploit the situation. Since the checks began on August 1, Italian officials said they had intercepted around 20 non-EU nationals from Morocco, China, Colombia and Georgia over irregular documentation or legal issues. Fifteen were denied entry, while four were detained because of criminal records or pending legal proceedings. Officials said none had previously passed through Ceuta.
The crisis also left Spain facing a large processing and return effort in the enclave. Government spokesperson Elma Saiz later announced that 12,702 people had returned from Ceuta to Morocco since August 10. Reuters reported that more than 1,000 of those still in Ceuta were from sub-Saharan countries; Spanish government statistics cited by the news agency showed that nationals of those countries received asylum protection in Spain in more than 90% of cases. The figures added a rights dimension to the operational challenge of addressing the backlog.
The dispute between Rome and Madrid unfolded amid broader political tensions over the Ceuta crisis. Spanish opposition parties called for a political trial against Sánchez over his handling of the border situation, adding pressure on both governments. For more on the political fallout, see the coverage of the parliamentary initiative targeting Sánchez’s response to Ceuta: Congress debates Sánchez’s management of the Ceuta border crisis.
Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, has long been a focal point for migration from Africa to Europe. Its position on the border with Morocco makes it a frequent entry point for people seeking to reach the EU. Italy later extended its controls several times. On October 22, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska agreed to end the reciprocal checks and restore ordinary Schengen arrangements when the latest authorizations expired. The agreement followed discussions between Sánchez and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of an EU summit, easing the diplomatic tension that followed Rome’s initial move and Madrid’s response.
