Spain identifies more than 1,000 travelers arriving from Italy while Meloni refuses to lift her controls

The clash between the governments of Pedro Sánchez and Giorgia Meloni over the Schengen area already has a first figure in Spain. The National Police identified 1,033 non-EU travelers arriving from Italy between Saturday morning and Monday noon, according to the balance released by the Ministry of Interior.

The checks were carried out on 58 flights and mobilized 109 agents at seven airports. The operation came into effect after Rome refused to withdraw the controls imposed on arrivals from Spain after the migratory crisis in Ceuta. The Spanish response will remain active until September 7, although it may be lifted earlier if circumstances change.

The order published by the Interior in the BOE allows checking the documentation of all passengers coming from Italian ports and airports. The regime applied depends on the nationality and legal status of each traveler. EU citizens retain their right to free movement, while the most exhaustive verifications focus on nationals of third countries and check their visas or residence permits.

The Government politically presents the measure as a proportionate response to Meloni's Executive. The legal justification included in the BOE points to the migratory pressure that Italy is experiencing on the central Mediterranean route, subsequent movements to other European countries, and the activity of networks dedicated to human trafficking and document forgery.

Barcelona concentrates more than half of the controls

Barcelona-El Prat airport gathered 552 of the 1,033 identified travelers, more than half of the national total. The checks were distributed among 18 flights and required the participation of 29 officials.

Madrid-Barajas took second place, with 223 passengers from five flights and 17 agents deployed. Next appear Valencia, where 65 people from three flights were controlled; Alicante, with 61 travelers from 14 connections; Seville, with 49 passengers from eight planes; Malaga, with 43 from five flights, and Bilbao, with another 40 from five connections.

The initial data still excludes cruises, maritime links, and operations carried out in the Canary and Balearic Islands. The Interior will incorporate these figures in its next balances, so the total number of passengers subjected to checks will continue to increase as long as the operation remains in force.

Controls are random and must be carried out without interrupting ordinary transit at airports. The order expressly prohibits any decision based solely on nationality, ethnic origin, religion, or physical appearance and mandates limiting waiting times.

Meloni keeps the clash over Schengen open

The crisis began after the massive entry of around 72,000 migrants into Ceuta on July 30 and 31. Meloni's government decided to re-establish controls for passengers from Spain starting August 1, with special attention to non-EU citizens.

Madrid demanded their withdrawal and recalled that most of the people who entered Ceuta returned to Morocco. The Executive has also insisted that the autonomous city is outside the Schengen area and that no one can reach the Peninsula from there without first passing through a police control.

The Spanish position received the backing of European Interior Ministers. During an extraordinary meeting, the Twenty-Seven assessed the authorities' response to the crisis, and European Commissioner Magnus Brunner declared the episode over. Even Finland, which had initially supported the possibility of imposing restrictions on Spain, later considered it unnecessary to reinstate internal controls. The European Commission reminds that these measures should be used as a last resort and limited to the essential time.

Italy maintains a different position. Its Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, has defended that controls will continue at least until August 15 due to the alleged risk of another massive entry into Ceuta and the possibility of people linked to terrorism infiltrating. Rome has so far detected about twenty travelers with documentary irregularities or criminal records, although none had previously passed through Ceuta.

Tajani has also described the Spanish response as "incomprehensible and completely unacceptable". Italian Vice President Matteo Salvini has accused Sánchez's government of "bordering on the ridiculous" and has again linked the extraordinary regularization of migrants to the border crisis.

José Manuel Albares considers the Italian restrictions "unfair and unjustifiable" and has described them as a "torpedo in the waterline of European unity". The Minister of Foreign Affairs maintains that secondary movements from Spain to Italy are practically non-existent and keeps the diplomatic channel open to try to close the conflict.

The PP has taken advantage of the clash to criticize Sánchez. Elías Bendodo has reproached the Government for "emboldening" itself with Italy while avoiding confronting Morocco. Isabel Díaz Ayuso has also sided with Meloni and has assured that the Spanish Executive's migratory policy "also attacks the European Union".

Rome has set August 15 as the first date to review its restrictions. Spain will maintain identifications in ports and airports until Italy withdraws its own or, at most, until September 7.