Nearly 69,500 Migrants Return to Morocco as 22 EU Leaders Seek Emergency Talks on Spain's Crisis

MADRID, Aug 1: Nearly 69,500 migrants have returned to Morocco from Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta over the past 30 hours, as Spanish authorities tightened border security and 22 European leaders called for urgent talks to address the unfolding migration crisis.

Police sources told Spanish news agency EFE that the figure includes migrants who entered Ceuta before Thursday's mass crossing, as well as some who may have crossed into the enclave and returned to Morocco multiple times.

Spanish authorities on Saturday began installing new containment barriers at the Tarajal border breakwater in an effort to prevent further mass crossings.

According to Spain's Interior Ministry, the system includes a 500-meter air-powered floating barrier rising between 30 and 70 centimeters above the water, with a submerged section extending up to one meter deep. The barrier is supported by anchored buoys supplied by the Spanish Navy, while an access channel has been left open for Civil Guard patrol vessels.

Many migrants returned after Spain and Morocco announced plans to repatriate those who had entered the enclave. Others reportedly left because they were unable to access shops, commercial areas and restaurants in Ceuta to meet their basic needs.

The Interior Ministry said the death toll among migrants attempting to reach Spain from Morocco has climbed to 67.

Spanish authorities estimated that more than 49,000 people crossed into Ceuta by swimming or walking from the Moroccan town of Fnideq during Thursday's mass influx, prompting Madrid to deploy additional police officers and armed forces to reinforce security around the enclave.

Amid the escalating crisis, 22 European heads of state and government on Saturday called for an emergency meeting of European Union interior ministers to coordinate a response to the unprecedented migration surge.

In a joint letter led by Italy and Denmark, the leaders said they were determined to prevent migrant smugglers from undermining the European Union's external borders.

"We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible," the letter stated.

Addressed to European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, the letter warned that failing to contain the situation could encourage further irregular migration and weaken confidence in the bloc's migration policies.

The leaders welcomed ongoing cooperation between Spain and Morocco and expressed confidence that the situation could be brought under control with European Union support, noting that thousands of migrants had already been returned to Morocco.

They urged the Irish presidency to convene an extraordinary videoconference of EU interior ministers to assess the crisis, mobilize available EU resources, expand support for Spain, consider additional assistance from the EU border agency Frontex, and review cooperation with Morocco.

The signatories also said they were prepared to implement measures under EU law and the Schengen Borders Code, including reinforcing or temporarily reintroducing internal border controls if necessary.

"The current situation calls for unity, determination and urgency," the leaders said, calling for a swift, coordinated European response to the migration crisis.