In August 2026, a deep humanitarian crisis unfolded in Ceuta, a small Spanish enclave situated on Morocco’s northern coast. Around 72,000 people entered from Morocco over the course of two days. More than 100 drowned trying to cross into Spanish territory.

The vast majority of migrants soon returned to Morocco, but at present, as many as 5,000 remain in Ceuta, many of them unaccompanied minors caught in an uncertain legal and political limbo.

Throughout Europe, right-wing politicians have seized the humanitarian crisis in Ceuta as an opportunity to inflame racism and xenophobia.

Spain’s far-right Vox party is stoking fears of “illegal, uncontrolled, and rampant migration”. Italian President Giorgia Meloni proclaimed defiantly on X that Italy would not “retreat a millimeter on illegal immigration”, and suspended Schengen travel agreements with Spain.

This attitude is more widely reflected in the European Parliament. The EU’s Return Regulation – a system for “returning” third-party nationals, which includes detaining people in offshore centres for up to two years before deporting them – was passed in June. It was greeted with applause and chants of “send them back” from far-right Members of the European Parliament.

But while anti-migrant scaremongering may play well at the polls, it will ultimately harm Europe too. Harsh........

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