The Spanish government has announced the introduction of temporary border controls for all flights and sea vessels arriving from Italy. The restrictions take effect at midnight on Saturday, August 8, 2026, and will last at least until September 7, according to infohub.kz.
These measures are a response to similar actions by Italian authorities, who a week ago introduced border controls due to the influx of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.
On August 7, Spain demanded that Italy lift its border checks, but Rome stated that they would remain in place at least until August 15, when, according to the Italian side, a new wave of migrants could arrive in Ceuta.
Earlier reports indicated that the migration crisis, caused by the mass arrival of Moroccan citizens in Ceuta, has become the most serious for Spain in recent times and has sparked tensions with neighboring European countries. Italy's right-wing government called for Spain's exclusion from the Schengen Agreement. Spanish authorities described such a reaction as "selfish" and "provoking division" within the EU.
According to Kursiv, between 72,000 and 78,000 undocumented migrants have broken into the Spanish semi-exclave in North Africa, bordering Morocco, by sea and land, depending on estimates. The crisis escalated after Spain's Supreme Court ruled against the simplified expulsion of foreigners detained at sea. So far, about 70,000 people have been returned to Morocco.