Washington, DC [US], September 6 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump has strongly criticised Spain regarding the migrant crisis affecting the Spanish territory of Ceuta, accusing Madrid of maintaining zero control over its borders.
Through a post published on Truth Social, Trump stated, “So sad what is happening in Spain, a country with ZERO control of its Border. WOW!"
Trump’s remarks emerged as Spain continued addressing the aftermath of a massive migrant surge from Morocco into Ceuta, alongside ongoing questions concerning the conduct of Moroccan security forces during the incident. This followed prior criticism directed at Spain by Trump during an interview with British television channel GB News.
Addressing the situation during his conversation with GB News, Trump censured Spain's handling of the crisis, which saw thousands of Moroccan migrants swimming towards the Spanish enclave in North Africa last July, triggering numerous arrests and over 140 fatalities.
Although a majority of individuals have since returned voluntarily, thousands remain stationed within Ceuta, sustaining a prominent political debate across Europe.
Describing the influx as an "invasion of a country", Trump issued a warning that Spain faces destruction, telling GB News during the sit-down interview, "Spain will be a ruined country."
The United States President further asserted that the crisis surpassed a conventional military invasion in severity, adding, "You know, you don't have thousands of people just bum-rushing your country. I've never seen anything like it."
Comparing the phenomenon with conditions in the United Kingdom, Trump noted that Britain is likewise grappling with domestic migration challenges, though "not as visible as that (Ceuta)".
While Ceuta has experienced recurrent migration waves over the years, the surge witnessed on July 30 and 31 remained unprecedented.
At least 60,000 migrants entered the small Spanish enclave by swimming and scaling perimeter fences, overwhelming local border security forces. Visual materials circulated across social media platforms depicting large crowds surging towards Ceuta.
By the afternoon of July 31, Spanish authorities reported that nearly 50,000 individuals had either returned or been repatriated to Morocco. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration stated that roughly 5,000 people, including upwards of 1,000 minors, stayed in Ceuta, whereas local municipal authorities estimated the figure higher at 9,000.
Although select reports suggested possible Moroccan leniency during the border breaches, Prime Minister Sanchez absolved Rabat of any complicity.
Nevertheless, the Spanish Prime Minister has encountered mounting political pressure within Parliament and among the public ahead of general elections scheduled for the following year, with citizens staging widespread street protests demanding his resignation over the crisis management.
Concurrently, diplomatic friction has arisen between Madrid and Rome after Italy instituted inspections on Spanish travellers, prompting a reciprocal tit-for-tat measure from Madrid despite both being Schengen signatories.
Bilateral relations between Madrid and Washington have similarly deteriorated in recent months due to friction between Sanchez and Trump.
Initial tension occurred when Spain denied permission for United States forces to utilise military bases for conducting strikes against Iran.
Further strain developed during the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, where Spain rejected Trump’s mandated goal requiring alliance members to allocate 5 per cent of gross domestic product to defence by 2035—a benchmark largely accepted by the remaining 32 member states.
Sanchez maintained that the current 2 per cent NATO threshold, which Spain satisfies, was sufficient, characterising any increase as both "unreasonable and counterproductive".
During his interview with GB News, Trump reiterated his grievances regarding the European ally, stating, "I've had my own problems with Spain because Spain doesn't behave very well with respect to NATO." (ANI)
"Zero control of its border": Trump slams Spain over Ceuta migrant crisis, says situation is "so sad"
