MADRID, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Spain has stepped up its response to a deepening migrant crisis in its North African enclave of Ceuta, deploying armed forces to support the Civil Guard after thousands of migrants crossed from neighboring Morocco, while at least 18 migrants died while attempting to reach the Spanish territory by sea, local newspaper El Pais reported on Thursday.

Migrants walk next to a USECIC Guardia Civil member after swimming through Spain's Ceuta border from the Moroccan side to reach the border fence, in Ceuta, Spain, July 30, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a video. (Photo: Agencies)

Thousands of migrants entered Ceuta on Thursday, placing severe pressure on local reception facilities and security services, authorities said.

The Beni Enzar border crossing, the only operational crossing between Spain and Morocco in the neighboring Spanish enclave of Melilla, was closed after hundreds of migrants attempted a mass crossing. Local authorities urged residents to avoid the border area to facilitate ongoing security operations.

The situation also triggered diplomatic tensions between Spain and Italy. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said he had summoned Italian Ambassador to Spain Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi after Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen Area over the migrant crisis in Ceuta.

In a post on X, Tajani said the government's decision to regularize more than 500,000 undocumented migrants had encouraged human trafficking and called for Spain to be excluded from the Schengen Area. Albares described Tajani's remarks as "inappropriate" and said Spain expected "European solidarity, not partisan demagoguery" from a partner country.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska are scheduled to visit Ceuta on Friday as the government continues to strengthen its response to the crisis.

Ceuta, together with Melilla, forms the EU's only land borders with Africa and has long been a major entry point for migrants seeking to reach Europe.