Spain Checks Italian Arrivals After Migrant Dispute

Spain began checking travelers arriving from Italy on Saturday, implementing border controls in response to similar measures Rome imposed following a surge of migrants into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta.

The Spanish Interior Ministry reported checking 199 people on 12 flights to airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia late Saturday. These checks started at midnight on Saturday, one week after Italy introduced similar restrictions on Spanish visitors. Madrid stated that most of the migrants entering Ceuta were swiftly returned and accused Italy of allowing migrants to proceed.

The European Union described the tit-for-tat border restrictions between Spain and Italy as temporary, asserting they would not have a lasting impact on the Schengen zone. The dispute centers on migration flows into Ceuta, a Spanish city bordering Morocco. Spanish police recently dismantled a speedboat network described as complex, active and dangerous for trafficking thousands of migrants into Ibiza.