Italy and Spain Reinstate Mutual Passport Checks Amid Migrant Surge
Italy and Spain have reintroduced random passport controls for travelers between the two countries, extending the measures for at least a month after a dispute over migration policies.
Random police checks were introduced for Italians arriving at Barcelona airport after Spain reinstated border controls overnight, according to the state news agency EFE. The Spanish government said the checks would remain in place for at least a month following Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's refusal to lift Italy's own restrictions on Spanish travelers by the Aug. 9 deadline.
Italy began enforcing air and sea checks on Spanish citizens on Aug. 1 after Meloni criticized Spain's migration policies, which she described as "progressive" and linked to a recent influx of 72,000 migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. While most migrants have returned, more than 80 died during the episode, according to Spanish and Moroccan officials.
The incident revived debate within the EU over immigration, with EU leaders questioning Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's approach, including a recent amnesty that allowed over 1 million undocumented residents who had lived in Spain for at least five months to apply for legal status.
EU rules permit temporary reintroduction of internal border checks in response to serious threats, but such measures must be limited and used as a last resort.
"Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad about national security and border control," Italy's office said, adding that the checks would stay in place until at least Aug. 15 and would be lifted only when security risks are deemed absent.