Trump, Vance warn images of migrant invasion to Spain could come to US under Dem leadership

Videos from the Spanish exclave Ceuta on the Mediterranean coast flooded social media on Thursday, showing men swimming to the little European outpost, coming ashore, and running through the streets. As the videos kept coming, men were seen scuffling with police or running from them and later breaking into buildings and looting. It is easy to look at these images and imagine an invasion of this kind coming to the United States if border restrictions were lifted, as they were under the Biden administration.

President Donald Trump responded to the videos, which by all accounts look terrifying if you're a person who lives in Ceuta, saying, "It's terrible. Remember that picture. That's going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in." He went on to tell Fox News, "If the Democrats get in, you will not live a very good life." Border security has been a hallmark of both of his administrations. Video showed migrants attempting to break into homes and businesses.

Vice President JD Vance also weighed in, sharing a news report from Fox News, saying, "Thank God POTUS was elected and our country's border no longer looks like this. These images out of Spain are an unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration and the radical left-wing globalist policies that have enabled the invasion of the West."

Democrats in the US, influenced by the far-left wing the DSA, have advocated against the enforcement of federal immigration law and against the concept of borders. They argue routinely that "no one is illegal on stolen land," meaning that the nation of the United States is not legitimate and the land should be turned over to anyone coming in from developing or third-world nations. They seek to dismantle the border entirely, along with capitalism, saying "While the border cannot be fully abolished while capitalism remains, it is difficult to imagine the end of capitalism without a concerted and sustained attack on the border regime and the entirety of the state’s repressive apparatus."

Thousands upon thousands of people could be seen heading for the shores of Ceuta, then invading the beach, walking into town, with what in comparison was a skeleton police force. Many of the men were shirtless and women and children were barely among the crowd. For many in the US, the images bore a shocking resemblance to the chaotic scenes from the US-Mexico border during the Biden administration when millions of migrants poured into the US, overwhelming border agents and checkpoints, over just four years.

The estimates of how many men have illegally entered Ceuta keep rising, with numbers at the time of writing at over 60,000—Ceuta is a town of under 84,000 people. Police have been overwhelmed. Local leaders have called for Spanish President Pedro Sanchez to send in the military. Others have said that it's his policies, like the recent mass amnesty of more than 1,000,000, or the promise that migrants who illegally reach Spain will not be turned back, are to blame for the invasion.

Ceuta's President Juan Jesus Vivas called the invasion "a situation of absolute humanitarian and social emergency" and urged leaders on the mainland to place the territory under a "national emergency." Moroccan leaders told the invaders to come home.

Responding to Vivas, Sanchez said he's working "to restore normalcy as soon as possible." On Friday morning, he said, "The Government of Spain stands with Ceuta... What happened yesterday [was] an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity. Ceuta is a Spanish city, and what happened yesterday deserves our full reproach, our condemnation at the strongest possible level of rejection, condemnation, and consideration as deplorable."

It's unclear why the massive surge happened, but Spain's Interior Ministry has said it believes it is orchestrated. They say that "human trafficking networks are exploiting a court ruling to encourage the flow of undocumented migrants, mostly young people." Some migrants died during the crossing, either drowning at sea or being trampled to death in a stampede at a beach crossing.

The Spanish Supreme Court ruled in June that migrants who arrive illegally, either by land or sea, could not be returned without due process. On Friday, the Interior Ministry said some 25,000 migrants were sent back and that departures of 150 people per minute are ongoing. 

This ruling, combined with Sanchez's penchant for granting mass amnesty, could contribute to the mass illegal migration, what Europeans like to call "irregular migration," because people know they will have ample time to get through the immigration courts, wait for more amnesty, or simply use the EU's open borders to leave Spain and disappear into the interior of the continent. 

Spain is part of the EU where loose border controls define the economic region. Already, leaders in Italy and Finland are saying that Spain's status should be revoked until they get their migrant problems under control. Otherwise, those 60,000 men who entered Ceuta will be able to travel freely from Spain to the UK, Germany, and throughout the region. 

Giorgia Meloni of Italy called for the suspension of Spain's open border, saying it was necessary "to defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens." In relaying her remarks, CBS News notes that "Italy doesn't share a border with Spain," but as the EU is an open border region, one nation's border is the equivalent of all nations' borders.

This article originally appeared in Libby Emmons' newsletter. You can subscribe here.