The White House tore into Spain’s socialist-led government Thursday after a massive migrant surge overwhelmed border security in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, reigniting the debate over Europe’s immigration policies.
President Donald Trump’s administration argued the crisis was exactly the kind of scenario Trump had warned about for years.
“President Trump has long warned Europe what would happen if they continue to implement far-left, globalist policies, including enabling mass migration,” White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News in a statement.
“Spain and other countries who have adopted this destructive philosophy should immediately reverse course or risk their own demise.”
The criticism came as Ceuta was already reeling from an immigration wave before Thursday’s dramatic border collapse. Local officials said more than 2,000 migrants had entered the tiny North African territory during the previous 10 days. Then, on Thursday alone, Spain’s state broadcaster TVE estimated another 3,000 to 5,000 migrants crossed into the enclave after overwhelming border authorities.
INSANE FOOTAGE: Thousands of migrants continue crossing from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta enclave, as local officials reportedly urge Madrid to declare a national emergency. pic.twitter.com/dlbbKOjBV1
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 30, 2026
Video from the scene showed what appeared to be thousands of mostly military-aged men pouring into Ceuta. Some smiled and posed for cameras while carrying swim fins and flotation devices after swimming around the Tarajal breakwater from Morocco. Others forced their way through a gate in the border fence before sprinting into the city as overwhelmed police struggled to regain control.
Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas formally asked Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to declare a national emergency, warning the city could no longer cope with the unprecedented migrant influx. Spain’s Interior Ministry rejected the request, saying national emergency powers cannot be invoked for migration under current civil protection laws.
“The declaration of a national emergency is part of the state civil protection regulations, which do not consider migratory flows as a risk to the National Civil Protection System, nor do they establish special plans, basic guidelines, or specific civil protection instruments for their management. Therefore, it is not possible to activate this mechanism, as requested by the president of the Government of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas,” the ministry said in a statement.
POLL: Should Foreigners Be Banned From Buying American Farmland?
As the crisis intensified, Spain ordered military units to reinforce the Guardia Civil after border agents were overwhelmed. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska were also expected to travel to Ceuta as Madrid worked with Moroccan authorities on repatriation efforts.
🇪🇸 Spain’s TV reporter:
“The situation in Ceuta is completely out of control […] They’re swimming across that border. Some are also crossing on foot […] there are thousands of them. Unofficial figure — about 5,000 people, but that number is likely even higher.” pic.twitter.com/i2VOVJ4DBt
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 30, 2026
“The Government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta. We are mobilizing all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible,” Sánchez wrote Thursday on X.
The latest border crisis has fueled renewed criticism from Spain’s conservatives, who argue Sánchez’s immigration policies encourage illegal migration by guaranteeing government care for migrant minors who reach Spanish territory.
“When they cross the border as minors, you cannot send them back to Morocco,” conservative Spanish journalist Javier Negre, owner of La Derecha Diario and UHN Plus, told Fox News Digital.
“The Spanish state has to take care of them and pay money to NGOs to care for these minors until they turn 18,” Negre continued.
“It’s proof that Europe and Spain are on the verge of becoming a failed continent because of the future policies and promotion of this illegal invasion under Pedro Sánchez.”
Sánchez has defended his immigration agenda, arguing Spain’s aging population and low birth rate make migration an economic necessity.
“The West needs people. Currently, few of its countries have a rising population growth rate,” Sánchez wrote in a February opinion piece published by The New York Times.
“Unless they embrace migration, they will experience a sharp demographic decline that will prevent them from keeping their economies and public services afloat. Their gross domestic product will stagnate. Their public healthcare and pension systems will suffer.”
“Neither AI nor robots will be able to prevent this outcome. … The only option to avoid decline is to integrate migrants in the most orderly and effective way possible.”
POLL: Ilhan Omar Now Claims She’s Broke – Do You Believe Her?
