The current crisis on Spain’s southern border has once again put Europe’s deep migration policy cracks under the microscope. It exposes the continent’s broader geopolitical vulnerabilities. Between Thursday and Friday, an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants crossed irregularly into Ceuta, the small Spanish territory bordering Morocco. Images of thousands of young people throwing themselves into the sea with floaties or desperately scaling the fences have gone global.

As I write this piece, anywhere from 37,500 to 48,000 people were quickly pushed back to Morocco. The human cost, however, was devastating. At least 57 people died trying to reach Spanish soil.

To grasp the sheer scale of this event, we have to understand why Ceuta is such a migration flashpoint. This autonomous city is barely eight kilometers long. Alongside Melilla, it represents the only official land border the European Union shares with Africa. Guarded by a double ten-meter-high fence, Ceuta acts as the final geographic funnel for thousands fleeing a lack of opportunity.

Ceuta, alongside Melilla, represents the only official land border the European Union shares with the African continent.

Ceuta, alongside Melilla, represents the only........

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