Spain Tightens Border Checks with Italy Following Migrant Surge

Spain began tightening checks on travellers arriving from Italy on Saturday, 8 August 2026. The policy is a response to a similar move by Rome following a large surge of migrants into Ceuta, Spain’s North African territory.

“I don’t see much ‘diplomacy’ in these decisions, either from the Italian government or the Spanish government,” said Maria Celeste Grillo, a 36-year-old Italian tourist who had just arrived in Madrid by plane. She said she did not see any additional checks when disembarking, but described the implementation of the policy as “saddening”.

Spain announced on Friday that it would resume tightened checks, citing the persistent illegal migration pressure faced by Italy. The move underscores a tit-for-tat dispute between the fellow EU partners and NATO allies.

The left-leaning Spanish government complained that Italy’s hard-right government unfairly imposed a one-month border check on travellers from Spain on 31 July, suspending visa-free travel rules in the EU’s Schengen Area due to the migrant surge in Ceuta.

More than 70,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the territory on 30 and 31 July, though almost all returned to Morocco within 48 hours. The large influx has worried European nations, particularly right-wing governments pushing for stricter rules against illegal migrants. However, rules concerning Ceuta mean the migrants cannot continue their journey to mainland Europe without passing through further layers of border checks.

EU migration chief Magnus Brunner said he had communicated with both the Spanish and Italian interior ministers on Saturday and stated that both confirmed the internal border controls are temporary. “I stressed the progress we have made in tackling illegal migration and that trust between member states is the most valuable asset we have,” Brunner wrote on platform X.