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See the full story · 1 sourcesAs shocking videos circulate of migrants pouring over the collapsed border of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, took a swipe at the country’s socialist prime minister, saying, "That's what happens every single time a politician offers amnesty."
Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the tip of Africa, formally requested a national emergency declaration on Thursday after more than 2,000 migrants crossed the border from Morocco in the past 10 days. Video shows hordes of men smiling and posing for cameras, some carrying swimming flippers, and sprinting through the streets as authorities struggle to corral the unruly masses. Other footage shows crowds of migrants emerging from the sea, climbing up onto Ceuta's rocky shores and working their way around border fences.
Gill, a young Republican known for his viral takedowns during congressional hearings, blamed the breakdown on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who leads the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.
"Spain's socialist Prime Minister announced he would be giving amnesty to millions of illegal aliens . Now, his country is being invaded by hordes of military aged men from Africa," Gill posted on X. "Because that's what happens every single time a politician offers amnesty."
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Sánchez's socialist government launched an "extraordinary regularization" program earlier this year that allows eligible undocumented migrants already living in Spain to obtain legal residence and work authorization. The government says the policy promotes economic integration, while critics describe it as a mass amnesty.
Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas formally requested that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declare a national emergency to help respond to the border crisis , Spanish media outlets reported . Madrid, however, denied the request.
"The declaration of a national emergency is part of the state civil protection regulations, which do not consider migratory flows as a risk to the National Civil Protection System, nor do they establish special plans, basic guidelines, or specific civil protection instruments for their management. Therefore, it is not possible to activate this mechanism, as requested by the president of the Government of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas," Spain's Ministry of the Interior said in a statement, according to Spanish outlet El Pais.
Ceuta’s government, in their request for a national emergency declaration, noted that immigration from Morocco is always a problem for the Spanish enclave, but claimed the last 10 days represented a peak "of particular intensity." That peak has seen more than 2,000 migrants cross the border in the past 10 days, Ceuta officials said, according to the outlet.
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"The Government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta. We are mobilizing all necessary resources, working with Moroccan and international authorities, and preparing the necessary measures to restore normalcy as soon as possible," Sánchez wrote in a Thursday post on X.
Back in the U.S., the White House has also criticized Sánchez for the collapse, saying in a statement that "President Trump has long warned Europe what would happen if they continue to implement far-left, globalist policies – including enabling mass migration."
"Spain and other countries who have adopted this destructive philosophy should immediately reverse course or risk their own demise," said the White House.
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Sánchez, however, has previously claimed that accepting migrants is necessary to keep Spain's economy alive, arguing the country's low birth rates necessitate accepting immigrants.
"The West needs people. Currently, few of its countries have a rising population growth rate. Unless they embrace migration, they will experience a sharp demographic decline that will prevent them from keeping their economies and public services afloat. Their gross domestic product will stagnate. Their public healthcare and pension systems will suffer. Neither AI nor robots will be able to prevent this outcome... The only option to avoid decline is to integrate migrants in the most orderly and effective way possible," Sánchez wrote in a February op-ed in The New York Times.
Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
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