00:00The Spanish government says it will deploy the army to its North African enclave of Ceuta to reinforce security after
00:08hundreds of migrants crossed illegally, with many swimming around the border to reach the territory.
00:14The deployment comes after Ceuta's authorities urged Madrid to declare a national emergency and assume control of the situation, warning
00:25that local authorities had become overwhelmed by the surge in the illegal crossings.
00:31According to the autonomous city authorities, around 300 sea arrivals are being recorded per day on average, with the figure
00:38set to rise.
00:40The Spanish Interior Ministry has suggested that human trafficking networks may be taking advantage of a recent court ruling to
00:48encourage the arrival of undocumented migrants.
00:51That ruling states that people who enter by swimming do not meet the legal requirements for immediate rejection at the
00:58border, without an individual case being opened.
01:02Meanwhile, Italy's government on Thursday said it is considering suspending the European Union's Schengen Agreement with Spain over the development.
01:12Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced relevant bodies of her government would be meeting to discuss measures, saying suspending the Schengen
01:20Agreement with Madrid is in fact an option.
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