Spain to impose checks on Italy travelers amid migration row

Spain will commence random identity checks on travelers arriving from Italy starting at midnight on Saturday, according to Spain's public broadcaster RTVE and other major outlets, after Rome refused to lift temporary border controls imposed following the recent migration crisis in the North African enclave of Ceuta. The measures will remain in place until Sept. 7 and apply to airports and ports, with travelers potentially asked to present passports or residence permits. The Spanish government had given Italy until Sunday to remove its controls or face what it called "proportionate measures."

Rome rejects Madrid's demands

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government quickly rejected Spanish demands, stating that border controls would remain until at least Aug. 15. Rome linked the measures to Spain's recent mass regularization of undocumented migrants and the crisis in Ceuta, where an estimated 72,000 people crossed into the North African enclave last week. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described Italy's actions as "unjustifiable," calling them an "attack on the dignity of Spaniards as well as European unity."

"There is no reason whatsoever to introduce these measures," Albares told reporters during a visit to Colombia, adding that secondary movements of migrants from Spain to Italy are "practically zero." Madrid maintains that the Ceuta crisis does not threaten the Schengen area because the enclave requires identity checks before onward travel to mainland Spain or the passport-free zone. According to Spanish authorities, around 70,000 of the migrants who entered Ceuta last week have since returned to Morocco.

Migration statistics dispute

Spain also pointed to migration trends in Italy, noting that Rome has experienced roughly twice as much irregular migration as Madrid in recent years. Earlier on Friday, the Spanish government argued there was no objective basis for maintaining the Italian border controls. According to El Pais, Spain is arguing that higher levels of irregular migration in Italy justify its decision to introduce reciprocal checks on Italian travelers.