Spain said almost 50,000 migrants had crossed into its North African enclave of Ceuta in the last 24 hours, sparking domestic and diplomatic crises.
The country is a rarity in the West for welcoming migrants, who experts say are helping drive economic growth. Its conservative opposition has called on “exceptional measures” to control the sudden influx, while other opponents have accused Spain’s prime minister of allowing the surge in a bid to distract from his legal problems.
The crisis has also stoked rows with other countries: Italy’s prime minister called for Spain to be suspended from the EU’s open border agreement and Madrid has accused Morocco of not doing enough to halt the rush, eroding ties with Rabat, El País reported.
