Italy has arrested three people and denied entry to 21 third-country nationals, including six Moroccans, after reinstating border controls with Spain following the mass migration influx into Ceuta, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said.
“Since the restoration of controls on the borders with Spain, we have made three arrests and denied entry to 21 third-country nationals who were illegally present on Italian territory, six of whom are Moroccan citizens,” Piantedosi said during a hearing before the parliamentary committee overseeing the implementation of the Schengen Agreement.
The Italian minister was questioned by lawmakers about how the six Moroccan nationals had entered Spain. Piantedosi said it was impossible to establish their movements because migrants arriving in Ceuta had not been identified.
The statement does not establish that the six Moroccans were among those who crossed into Ceuta during the recent mass influx.
Piantedosi also reported a sharp decline in migrant arrivals in Italy by sea. He said landings had fallen by 55% since the beginning of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
Compared with the first seven months of 2023, when the current Italian government took office, arrivals during the same period this year have dropped by 82%, according to the minister.
Around 17,000 migrants have reached Italy by sea so far in 2026, Piantedosi said, describing the figure as less than a quarter of the number of people who arrived in Ceuta in just two days.
The migration crisis in Ceuta began at the end of July, when tens of thousands of people crossed into the city. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said around 72,000 migrants had entered from Morocco.
Ceuta's mayor-president, Juan Jesús Vivas, said Tuesday that around 10,000 migrants remained in the city.
The influx prompted Italy to introduce additional checks on passengers and vehicles arriving from Spain, temporarily suspending the normal Schengen arrangements between the two countries.
Piantedosi said Italy would not review the decision before August 15 and that any change would depend on whether security risks linked to the situation had been fully ruled out.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has also said that checks on ships and aircraft arriving from Spain will continue until at least Saturday, amid concerns over a possible renewed attempt at mass border crossings.
Rome's decision has triggered a diplomatic dispute with Madrid, which has itself introduced additional checks on travelers arriving from Italy. Spanish authorities said they had checked more than 3,000 passengers arriving from Italy in recent days.
