The mass arrival by sea and land threatened a political crisis for Sánchez, a left-wing, pro-immigration leader who has clashed with President Donald Trump. Trump called the situation “terrible” Friday, while Vice President JD Vance said the scenes were an “unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration and the radical left-wing globalist policies.”
The migrant crossings also fueled rapid alarm across Europe, where the continent’s divisions over immigration were laid bare.
France said it was increasing checks on its border with Spain, and Italy said it was temporarily suspending free movement and passport-free travel arrangements for flights from Spain, a cornerstone of the E.U.’s border-free travel area.
Authorities on both sides of the Ceuta border appeared to be taking action to reinforce it Friday. Spain deployed its military along the coast and roads to control the crowds.
The rush was captured in images and videos that showed migrants swimming or floating on tubes from the Moroccan side Thursday and others breaking through a gate on land and running into the Spanish city.
Most of those who died appear to have drowned, while some were killed in a stampede, humanitarian activists said.
Most of those crossing appeared to be young men, but there were also families with women and small children.
Ahmed Karim, a 33-year-old Moroccan, said he had crossed into Ceuta because of the lack of jobs in his country. “Many people want to go to Europe, America, but they don’t have the opportunity,” Karim said.
