Opinion In Spain’s migrant episode, fuel for Europe’s far right
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni has urged the suspension of Spain from the Schengen free movement arrangement. The Czech Republic, Finland, and Denmark supported Italy’s proposal
Migrants gather in Ceuta, Spain, following recent mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory, August 1, 2026. (REUTERS) The unprecedented influx into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco has alarmed political establishments across Europe. For politicians opposed to immigration, the episode was a godsend to bolster their arguments against immigration and reinforce a long-standing narrative. Spain’s relatively liberal approach to immigration, together with the policies pursued by socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has also come under intense scrutiny.
At least 72 migrants lost their lives from drowning or in a stampede. While Ceuta and Melilla on the North African coast are part of the EU, they operate under a special external border regime. The episode has triggered a broader European debate over the Schengen system, despite the fact that the enclave itself is not part of the Schengen free movement area.
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni has urged the suspension of Spain from the Schengen free movement arrangement. The Czech Republic, Finland, and Denmark supported Italy’s proposal. France and Portugal also tightened border controls. Spain responded forcefully to the Italian suggestion, dismissing the proposal as political demagoguery, and Sánchez has argued that the response of several governments was “driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest”.
By describing the migrant crossings into Spain as an “invasion”, Donald Trump is seeking to use the crisis to shape the immigration debate and rally voters ahead of the midterm elections. Europe’s far right has been equally quick to capitalise on the events. Right-wing parties in France, Germany and elsewhere are also expected to seize on the episode to reinforce their anti-immigration narrative.
The abrupt onset and swift end of the crisis point to its close connection with Spain-Morocco relations. Like many European countries, Spain has long sought to balance its ties with both Morocco and Algeria, particularly over the contentious issue of Western Sahara. A former Spanish colony, Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco in 1975. However, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), proclaimed by the Polisario Front in 1976, is recognised by many countries. Algeria supports the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and hosts the SADR government-in-exile.
Spain remains particularly vulnerable to Moroccan pressure because of the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. A similar episode unfolded in 2021, when around 8,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta after Spain allowed a Polisario leader to receive medical treatment in Spain. The crisis prompted Pedro Sánchez to abandon Spain’s long-standing position of neutrality and endorse Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara, under which the territory would remain under Moroccan sovereignty.
The 2026 crisis may, in turn, represent Morocco’s response to Sánchez’s recent rapprochement with Algeria. After years of strained relations, Sánchez recently visited Algiers, where the two sides agreed to strengthen political and commercial ties, including increasing Algeria’s natural gas exports to Spain. The European debate, on the other hand, has largely focused on Spain’s recent migrant regularisation policy, under which more than one million people have applied, and on the recent Supreme Court ruling on migrant returns, both of which may have played only a limited role in triggering the crisis.
Sachdeva is Professor and Jean Monnet Chair at the Centre for European Studies, JNU
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