France has reinforced security measures and border controls along its frontier with Spain following the mass arrival of migrants in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on Tuesday.
The enhanced border measures were deployed over the weekend at the directive of President Emmanuel Macron after an estimated 72,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta on Thursday and Friday.
Spanish authorities reported a provisional death toll of at least 75 resulting from drownings and stampedes during the border crossing attempts. Madrid confirmed that "almost all" of the individuals who entered Ceuta have since been returned to Morocco.
Nuñez made the comments following an emergency video conference with European Union interior ministers to discuss the crisis and coordinate secondary movement monitoring.
"All member states, without exception, have expressed their solidarity with Spain," Nuñez said, adding that France stands ready to provide additional support through the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).
Addressing the legal status of the enclave, Nuñez noted that Ceuta operates under specific framework rules within the European border zone. "It was recalled that the enclave of Ceuta is subject to special rules within the Schengen area since there are very strict controls," he said, emphasizing that EU member states recognized "there has been no penetration onto the mainland."
Nuñez commended the bilateral cooperation between Spanish and Moroccan authorities in managing the situation. He also rejected calls from political figures on the right and far right in France urging Spain's exclusion from the Schengen free-movement area. Nuñez asserted that European ministers agreed Schengen remains "not the problem" but "rather the solution," adding, "The Schengen Area was never in danger, not even minimally."
In addition to the Spanish border deployment, French authorities confirmed that controls along the French-Italian border have also been strengthened as part of wider regional measures against irregular migration.
