Trump says Spain's 'terrible' migration crisis is a warning for the US

Trump said the scenes seen in Ceuta could be repeated in the US. In an interview with Fox News, the Republican referred to the images of thousands of immigrants in the Spanish city as "terrible" and highlighted that this will be the future of the United States if a Democratic candidate returns to the White House.

"It's terrible. Remember those images. This is where we will be in three years if the wrong side wins the election," Donald Trump told Fox.

The US State Department referred to the episode as "unacceptable" and a "serious violation of Spanish sovereignty". In a statement, the North American organization also held Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government responsible for the crisis and accused the prime minister of using his administration as an "effort to facilitate mass illegal migration to Europe."

The US government said it was studying "actions" to "defend" US citizens "at home and abroad" in the face of this scenario. Furthermore, the US State Department stated that it is "ready to assist other European allies who consider similar options" to those adopted by the US to contain immigrants.

USA has restricted the entry of immigrants. Since returning to office last year, Trump has initiated mass deportations, fulfilling campaign promises to tighten immigration policies.

Republican government reinforced the activities of ICE (Immigration and Customs Control Service). At least seven people have been shot and killed during federal immigration enforcement operations since January 2025.

Immigrants are fined in the USA. As a measure to expel immigrants who are in an irregular situation, the US government has intensified the application of fines. More than 100,000 people have already received notifications charging US$998 (R$5,000) per day of stay following a court order of removal. In total, penalties can reach US$1.8 million per person (around R$9.1 million), according to the newspaper "The New York Times".

Thousands of immigrants entered the Spanish city from Morocco, both in North Africa, yesterday. Authorities were already monitoring an increasing number of border crossings, but the peak came when hundreds of them, at the same time, arrived into Spanish territory. At least 34 people died.

Images showed the migrants swimming from the Moroccan side, using inflatable buoys and other flotation devices. A Civil Guard spokesman said earlier that migrants were "entering en masse from the sea" through the Tarajal breakwater, and that police were overwhelmed. Other records showed some of the migrants shouting "Long live Spain" as they entered the territory.

The territories of Ceuta and Melilla are considered Spanish, but they are on the African continent and border Morocco. They can be reached by sea - although this means, in practice, bypassing a land border crossing rather than crossing the Strait of Gibraltar or the Mediterranean Sea. The two territories are Europe's only land borders with Africa.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez attributed the mass arrival to rumors spread by human trafficking networks in Africa. According to him, trafficking networks spread a "biased interpretation" of a Supreme Court decision on the repatriation of immigrants.

More than 25,000 of the immigrants who entered the country have already returned to Morocco, according to a survey by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. The pace of return is accelerated and should increase, with around 150 people per minute, according to the agency.

Crossing to Ceuta leaves 24 dead and leads Spain to send the Army

Authorities estimate that around 49,000 people have entered the Spanish enclave since Thursday. Pedro Sánchez classified the episode as a territorial violation and promised to use all State resources to guarantee the city's security