What you need to know
- Italy's one-month suspension of the free-movement Schengen deal takes effect
- Madrid says 67 people died in the Ceuta mass incursion from Morocco
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says respect for European treaties 'not optional'
- DW correspondent says thousands of migrants still in Ceuta
- Germany's Merz calls on Morocco to take back the irregular migrants 'without delay'
Follow this blog for continuing coverage and updates on the developing situation in Ceuta, Spain's North African territory.
Spain updates Ceuta death toll to 67, says new barrier will be installed
The death toll from the border collapse in Spain has been climbing since the incursion started on Thursday, with Spanish officials saying 67 bodies have been found by Saturday morning.
Spanish authorities also pledged to build a new containment barrier along the breakwater fence and into the sea for more security.
Thousands of migrants still in Ceuta, DW correspondent reports
Reporting from the scene in Ceuta, DW's Jan-Philipp Scholz says Spanish police and military were still out in force, and many irregular migrants remain in the Spanish exclave.
"Hundreds of migrants have spent the night on the beaches. Even though 80% to 90% have returned, there are still thousands of migrants in the exclave," he said.
"The migrants here still complain of hunger and thirst and are trying to get water at the beach showers," the DW correspondent added. "I'm also still hearing reports of some clashes with locals."
We are resuming our coverage
We wish you a good Saturday morning from Bonn, with Europe still reeling from the Ceuta border collapse. The Spanish exclave in Africa has seen some 60,000 people rush through the border from Morocco and gain entry to the Spanish city of some 85,000 residents.
While most of the irregular migrants reportedly returned to Morocco by Saturday morning, the incursion sparked alarm over the free-movement Schengen zone, with Italy even suspending the deal with Spain for one month.
Meanwhile, France boosted border checks with Spain while also pledging solidarity and offering assistance to Pedro Sanchez's government.
The incident has inflamed the already bitter political divide on migration within the EU.
We will be bringing you more on this story, including reports from our reporter in Ceuta, throughout the day.
This blog is on pause
We are pausing our coverage for now. Join us again on Saturday morning for more coverage of the situation in Ceuta.
Migrants lured by rumors and social media, Spain says
Authorities in Ceuta and Madrid are linking the border surge to a recent Spanish Supreme Court related to migration.
The court ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike those who cross by land or climb the border fence.
According to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, human smugglers misinterpreted the ruling and encouraged people to go to Ceuta in droves.
The misinformation about the Supreme Court’s ruling "spread like wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human trafficking organizations," Sanchez said.
He condemned human smugglers, saying they "deceive so many young people and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths," whether in the ocean or in the city.
Experts say poverty and limited prospects for young Moroccans played a role in this week's surge.
A quarter of Moroccans between the ages of 15 and 24 are not enrolled in education, are not in employment or receiving any work training, official data show.
Spain says Schengen zone integrity is 'absolutely guaranteed'
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said that the integrity of the Schengen free-travel area was "guaranteed."
He made the remark on the social media platform X after Italy announced it was temporarily suspending the Schengen free-travel pact with Spain.
"Practically the entirety of those who entered Ceuta have already returned to Morocco," Albares said.
Albares explained that individuals are not able to travel from Ceuta or Melilla to mainland Spain without passing through police identification checks.
He said critics of Spain's handling of the Ceuta situation were spreading "confusion."
Italy temporarily suspends Schengen free-travel pact with Spain
Italy has suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain for one month, in response to the influx of migrants into Ceuta, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Friday.
"The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary decision to protect the security of our citizens and defend Europe's borders," Tajani wrote on X.
Italy's interior ministry told AFP news agency that while Italy had closed its maritime and air entry points to Spain, it cautioned that travel for Spanish and European citizens to Italy would not be impacted.
AFP reported that any checks at air and sea borders with Spain would be "targeted" and concern only non-EU citizens arriving from Spain.
The measure will reportedly remain in force for one month beginning on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said.
Tajani said the the temporary measure to suspend Schengen was "provided for by the treaties and, today, rendered unavoidable."
Spain says most migrants have returned to Morocco
Spain's government said that and estimated that 48,300 migrants had returned to Morocco by 6 p.m. local time (4 p.m UTC) on Friday. The figures would mean that most of the 60,000 migrants estimated to have breached the border into Ceuta have already left.
According to Reuters news agency, several hundred people could be seen voluntarily making their way back to Morocco through border posts and holes in the fence. Some of them reportedly they were unable to find food or shelter in Ceuta.
Moroccan police in riot gear used tear gas to disperse some of those were still gathering near the border fences, according to Reuters.
Germany to extend border controls after Ceuta breach
German Interior Alexander Dobrindt said Berlin intends to reinforce and extend checks at Germany's borders in view of the situation developing in Ceuta.
"We will extend the possibility of internal checks beyond September," Dobrindt said.
Germany reintroduced some border checks within the Schengen zone on September 16, 2024, with Berlin citing the need to curb the number of unauthorized entries.
Since then, authorities have been carrying out checks at the borders with Denmark, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The Schengen area is intended to be a zone free of regular border checks.
Despite growing criticism, the measure has been extended three times. It was extended most recently until mid-September 2026.
"The situation in Ceuta highlights the volatile nature of the illegal migration crisis," Dobrindt said, explaining the latest extension.
Denmark says EU should consider suspending Spain from Schengen
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on social media that "the EU must immediately take all necessary measures and consider all options, including a suspension of Schengen cooperation."
Frederiksen expressed her rejection of the scenes from Ceuta, saying that her government would not accept a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis.
"Uncontrolled immigration is a threat to Europe. And to Denmark," she wrote.
Frederiksen said she had spoken with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who also slammed Spain for the crisis in Ceuta, adding that the two leaders planned to discuss the situation.
Authorities revise death toll to 57
The Spanish government's representative in Ceuta said on Friday evening that authorities had since recovered 57 bodies on the Spanish side of the border.
This increased a previous tally of at least 34 dead.
It cautioned that further casualties were possible on the Moroccan side.
Some drowned and others were crushed in a stampede trying to cross a breakwater near a border checkpoint.
'Not the time to divide' — Sanchez
Without singling anyone out by name, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez seemed to issue a response to critics including Italy's government and right-wing politicians across much of Europe on Friday evening.
"Solidarity and empathy are optional. Respect for European treaties and data is not," Sanchez wrote on X.
He then listed statistics from the EU's Frontex border enforcement agency on irregular migration between 2021 and 2026. This showed the largest number of arrivals, 478,600, from Italy, with 340,600 from the member states in the Western Balkans, 259,800 from Greece and then 234,760 via Spain.
"This is not the time to divide. It is the time to continue building a strong and united EU," Sanchez wrote.
Frontex data for 2025 specifically also showed the Western Mediterranean crossing route to Spain as a much smaller route for irregular migration than crossings to Italy. However, it was also the only major route listed where Frontex recorded a year-on-year increase rather than a reduction.
US State Department lays blame with Spain, Trump draws Mexico parallel
The US State Department issued a statement saying it stood with "the people of Spain, and all Europeans, against this egregious violation of their sovereignty and human rights."
It seemed to link developments to a decision months ago by Sanchez's government to offer and amnesty and temporary residency permits to irregular migrants already living in Spain. That's despite the fact that no new arrivals in Spain after it came into effect will be eligible to benefit, and Pedro Sanchez citing a different motivating factor.
"This unacceptable incident is the direct result of the Spanish Government's deliberate efforts to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe," the State Department said of its NATO ally. "We are considereing actions to defend Americans at home and abroad from this threat and stand ready to assist other European allies considering similar options."
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, seemed to seek to equate the issue to the US border with Mexico and domestic elections in an interview with Fox News.
"It's terrible. Remember that picture. That's going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in," Fox quoted him as saying.
Trump and Sanchez's governemnts have clashed repeatedly in recent months over the war in Iran and relations with Israel, among other issues.
A US Congressional report published at the end of April of this year also raised eyebrows, when it described Ceuta and Melilla as "Spanish-administered cities" located "in Moroccan territory."
AfD's Weidel takes aim at Merz government after Ceuta breach
German anti-migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) opposition leader Alice Weidel took aim at Friedrich Merz for his response to developments in Ceuta.
"The chancellor doesn't dedicate a single word to how he wants to secure the German border, and he also does not comment on a suspension of the Schengen Zone, as Italy, Finland and Denmark have done in the mean time," Weidel wrote, along with an image embedding Merz's response on social media. "Merz wants to sit out this crisis too, without acting in any way."
Merz's comment had explicitly said he supported Spain's intentions "not to allow the illegal migrants onto the European continent" and had called for their return "without delay."
Earlier in the day, Weidel had said that Ceuta was "ravaged" overnight and had said Germany must prepare itself.
Portugal: Integrity of Schengen depends on 'rigorous border control'
Portugal's government has issued a statement saying it is monitoring development in Ceuta with "great concern" and it laments the loss of life.
It said it had been kept informed by its Iberian neighbors "from the very beginning" and noted that Madrid's government had provided assurances that it would work with Morocco to "reverse the flow of the thousands of people who have arrived."
"The Portuguese government reaffirms that the integrity of the Schengen system depends on rigorous border control and a determined fight against all forms of illegal immigration," the government said.
It said domestic authorities like the maritime police and the GNR national guard that combats illegal migration were "cooperating and acting in concert" with their Spanish counterparts.