US president Donald Trump has on Saturday criticised Spain over the migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, accusing Madrid of having “ZERO control” of its border.Trump also warned that the country could become “a ruined country” as political pressure mounts on prime minister Pedro Sánchez.“So sad what is happening in Spain, a country with ZERO control of its Border. WOW!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday.His remarks follow a mass influx of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta, a small Spanish territory on North Africa’s coast, in July. Tens of thousands crossed by swimming, scaling fences or rushing through the border area, overwhelming local security forces.Trump had earlier criticised Spain’s handling of the crisis during an interview with British television channel GB News.“Spain will be a ruined country,” Trump said, describing the influx as an “invasion of a country”.“You know, you don’t have thousands of people just bum-rushing your country. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he added.Trump also compared the situation with migration pressures facing Britain, saying the problem there was “not as visible as that (Ceuta)”.Spanish authorities said tens of thousands of people subsequently returned or were repatriated to Morocco, while thousands remained in Ceuta. Reports also raised questions over the role of Moroccan security forces in the border breach.
Trump fires fresh salvo at Spain over explosive Ceuta migrant crisis.
Sánchez has rejected suggestions that Rabat helped orchestrate the crossing.“I can assure you that that no institution — neither the diplomatic service, nor the European Commission, nor any international body — has provided the Spanish government with solid evidence that Morocco planned or carried out the incident. None,” Sánchez told lawmakers on Thursday, according to the supplied report.The crisis has added to domestic pressure on Sánchez, with protests reported across Spain and calls for greater government action.The European Union has also yet to commit the assistance Spain has requested for Ceuta. EU Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said Brussels was still assessing Madrid’s requests.“We’re advancing on the assessment of these requests as a priority, however, for our final assessment, we have still some important open questions that need to be answered by the Spanish authorities first,” Lammert said.The dispute comes amid wider friction between Madrid and Washington over NATO spending and Spain’s refusal to endorse Trump’s proposed 5 per cent defence-spending target.
