European Union leaders should have received several messages during the recent surge of migrants into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. In particular, cohesion without trust is fragile; dependence without limits leads to vulnerability; and selective enforcement of international law risks eroding a pillar of Europe’s strategic identity.
MADRID—At the end of July, tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa. While most of them soon returned to Morocco voluntarily, several thousand, many of them minors, remain stranded in the city, leaving Spain to grapple with the humanitarian, security, and administrative consequences. Nonetheless, the immediate chaos has subsided, creating an opening for Europe to reflect on the vulnerabilities the episode revealed.
MADRID—At the end of July, tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa. While most of them soon returned to Morocco voluntarily, several thousand, many of them minors, remain stranded in the city, leaving Spain to grapple with the humanitarian, security, and administrative consequences. Nonetheless, the immediate chaos has subsided, creating an opening for Europe to reflect on the vulnerabilities the episode revealed.