Paris, Aug 1 (IANS) France has stepped up border controls with Spain following a wave of migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, located north of Morocco, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
“Ceuta does not enjoy free movement to the rest of the Schengen Area. However, yesterday I asked the Minister of the Interior to strengthen controls at our border with Spain if necessary: four mobile police units, aircraft, and drones have been deployed,” Macron said in a message posted on social media platform X.
Some 60,000 migrants have entered Ceuta illegally in recent days, by land and by sea, according to local authorities in Ceuta. 57 migrants died while attempting to reach the territory by swimming, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Spanish daily El Pais.
By late Friday afternoon, approximately 48,000 migrants had left the Spanish enclave to return to Morocco, the Spanish government announced.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday evening that the government had decided to temporarily suspend the Schengen free-movement regime for maritime and air links with Spain and reintroduce border checks.
“This is an extraordinary measure adopted to protect national security and prevent possible repercussions for our country. The measure will remain in place only for as long as necessary, with particular attention paid to limiting any impact on summer tourism flows,” Meloni said in a post on X.
The decision was made after the government assessed the latest situation regarding immigration and border security, following the recent influx of migrants from Morocco in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.
ANSA reported that Italy will implement border controls on maritime and air links with Spain for one month starting Saturday. The checks will be carried out at Italian ports and airports.
Border police will conduct “targeted” and “selective” checks, focusing mainly on third-country nationals arriving in Italy from Spain to verify whether they hold valid documents allowing them to travel within the Schengen area.
–IANS
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