Italy and Spain extend tit-for-tat border controls after Ceuta migrant surge

Italy is suspending its open-border arrangements with Spain for another 15 days, extending restrictions it imposed after a mass ‌rush of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta a month ago.

In response, Spain ​said it will also keep checking passengers arriving from Italy by air and sea for 15 more days.

Both announcements, made on Monday, prolong ongoing tit-for-tat ​restrictions, undermining the European Union's passport-free Schengen ‌area.

Rome's right-wing government initially brought in the restrictions on 1 August, saying it wanted to make ​sure no migrants entering Ceuta could travel on to Italy. Those curbs had been due to expire on Monday.

The decision to extend the suspension "was ​taken... due to the persistence of the factors that ⁠had led to the reintroduction of the ⁠measures," Italy's interior ministry said.

Spanish authorities say between 5,000 and 8,000 people remain in Ceuta after at least ‌72,000 crossed from neighbouring Morocco on 30 July.

At least 82 migrants were found dead on the Spanish side of the border, and Morocco confirmed 14 ‌more deaths.

The ministry said Italy was aware of "the steps already undertaken by Spain, together with the European Union, to help bring the situation in the area back to normal in the near future."

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has ⁠taken a hard line against illegal immigration, is under ​pressure from a new far-right party, Futuro Nazionale, whose rhetoric ​is resonating with some voters ahead of elections due next ​year.

Italy's centre-left opposition criticised the decision to reinstate border checks, saying it ⁠would undermine ties with Madrid, and that there was no indication migrants in Ceuta would travel to Italy.

Spain initially introduced curbs on passengers arriving from ⁠Italy on 8 August and said ​they would last for a month.

A total of 7,696 Italian visitors were identified during airport checks across nearly 700 flights involving 1,144 police officers in the two weeks after the curbs were introduced, Spanish officials confirmed.

Ahead of announcing their own border controls, the Spanish government had called Italy's measures "unjust, contrary ‌to EU interests and discriminatory to ‌the population of Spain".

The open-border Schengen area agreement allows more than 450m people free travel between member countries without going through border controls, including 25 of the 27 EU member states.

(c) Sky News 2026: Italy and Spain extend tit-for-tat border controls after Ceuta migrant surge