Border Check Blitz: Spain & Italy Halt Flights in Migrant Chaos

Sun Sep 06 2026 12:42:45 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Border checks flare between Spain and Italy amid a surge of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta, sparking a month‑long travel standoff.

Spain and Italy have imposed random passport checks on all flights after 78,000 migrants swam into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week. The restrictions began at midnight GMT and will remain until early September, sparking a diplomatic spat between PM Pedro Sanchez and Giorgia Meloni. While Spain claims the checks are random, Italy plans to keep them until mid‑August, citing fears of migrants moving on to Italy. Social media has amplified rumours of a second wave of crossings and critics argue the crackdown strains EU solidarity and fuels migration‐related myths. The move comes after Italy temporarily suspended Schengen with Slovenia, a step supported by Finland and Denmark.

Border Check Blitz: Spain & Italy Halt Flights in Migrant Chaos

Spain and Italy have slapped random passport checks on every plane and boat arriving from the other nation, starting at midnight GMT. The move follows an influx of nearly 78,000 migrants who swam across the sea into Spanish enclave Ceuta a week earlier.

The restrictions will stay in place until early September, when Spain says conditions may change. Italy will keep the checks at least until mid‑August, warning that further influxes could travel on to Italy.

The policy clash pits Spain’s socialist leader Pedro Sanchez against Italy’s conservative PM Giorgia Meloni, who has long called for tighter EU border rules. Both governments claim the checks are “random,” but reports from passengers in Madrid and Rome suggest a specific line for non‑EU arrivals.

While 5 to 10 percent of travelers are consulted, many travellers must show passports before disembarking, according to a passenger’s account to RTVE. In Italy, queues grow longer, and officials are said to sift through documents to spot non‑EU visitors.

The crisis is part of a larger pattern – temporary Schengen suspensions also happened with Slovenia, and Finland and Denmark backed Italy’s move. EU’s migration commissioner Magnus Brunner points to criminal networks that spread disinformation as a key driver behind the sudden surge.

In Ceuta, around 1,400 minors – many very young – remain in limbo, and reports say 100 crossed the sea died in the attempt. Social media posts calling for another wave have swelled to over 100,000 followers, prompting Meta to delete violating content.