SEVILLE, Spain — When Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stood in front of the media on Friday in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave bordering Morocco, he followed a routine that he has spent years perfecting: rally his supporters, then reclaim control of the narrative.

By Saturday morning, the Spanish government had declared the situation under control, with the army mobilized in the region and the installation of a 500-meter floating barrier off its border with Morocco.

Sánchez sent a letter to European counterparts calling some of them out for “attacking Spain.”

But the damage was already done: images of tens of thousands of migrants crossing into Spanish territory from Morocco went around the world, eliciting comments from anti-immigration foreign leaders.

U.S. President Trump called the crossing of migrants into Ceuta a “catastrophe” and an “invasion,” blaming what he called “weak” and “very liberal” laws in Spain. The U.S. State Department even posted on social media blaming the crisis on Sánchez’s migration-friendly policies.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said the crisis in Spain showed the “threat” irregular migration presents to European security and even temporarily suspended Italy’s open-border Schengen agreement with Spain, reimposing border controls for air and sea for travelers coming from the country.

In Spain, Sánchez’s political opponents also seized on the opportunity.

The far-right VOX party, which has increased its presence in the Spanish parliament in recent years on an anti-immigration platform, reacted to the incident by calling for the militarization of the border, and the immediate deportation of all migrants who crossed, including minors. The center-right opposition party Partido Popular also called on the government to declare a national emergency, close the borders, and mobilize the army.

The developments come at a challenging time for Sánchez, whose government has been consumed by the response to wildfires that have been devastating the country, including some of the largest on record.

Sánchez is a savvy media player. In crisis after crisis — from the COVID-19 pandemic and the deadly 2024 floods in Valencia to the country’s blackout in 2025 and the present day wildfires — he has managed to survive attacks from political opponents and stay ahead of the narrative.

Spaniards even joke about his capacity to handle one crisis after another: “the only thing left is an alien invasion.”