At least 72 migrants are dead after a chaotic rush to storm the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, turning one of Europe’s latest border crises into a humanitarian disaster that is reigniting debate over immigration across the continent.

Spanish authorities continued searching the waters off Ceuta over the weekend for additional victims after an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants — most of them young men — poured into the tiny Spanish territory in North Africa. Officials said many of the victims drowned while attempting the crossing, while others were killed in a stampede near a breakwater barrier.

The mass crossing unfolded over several days, temporarily increasing Ceuta’s population of roughly 84,000 by more than half. By Sunday, many migrants had returned to neighboring Morocco, while others remained in the city or tried to avoid authorities.

SPAIN DEPLOYS MILITARY AFTER THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS OVERWHELM BORDER ENCLAVE, AT LEAST 18 DEAD

The deaths have intensified the political fight over immigration in Spain and across Europe. Far-right leaders called for tighter border security and the removal of migrants who remained in the enclave.

Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain’s nationalist Vox party, visited Ceuta on Sunday and blasted the country’s government, calling the migrant influx «an invasion» and accusing officials of failing to protect Spain’s borders.

Guardia Civil officers recover the body of a migrant from the water in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

Tensions were also on display Saturday when European Parliament member Alvise Pérez faced angry counterprotesters during a rally in Ceuta. Pérez eventually took shelter inside a nearby bar before police escorted him away.

MIGRANT CRISIS PUSHES ITALY TO RESTORE BORDER CHECKS WITH SPAIN, TESTING EUROPE’S OPEN-BORDER SYSTEM

Many local residents expressed sorrow over the loss of life, even as the political debate intensified.

«It pains me deeply that young people are dying at sea. It’s not right that, in the year 2026, women with children as young as two months old should be crossing the sea only to die,» Karima Abenaz, a French national in Ceuta with family in Morocco, told Reuters.

«In Morocco, there’s food, there’s everything we need,» she said. «If we don’t have a decent job, we should go on strike and demand our rights from the government. We shouldn’t be dying at sea. It’s not right.»

Escorted by the Spanish army, migrants who crossed into Spain return to Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

WHITE HOUSE BLASTS SPANISH GOVERNMENT AS THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS SURGE FROM MOROCCO, EMERGENCY REQUEST DENIED

Other local residents said the migrants themselves should not be blamed.

Mohamad Abdelkader Driss, a waiter in Ceuta, told The Associated Press that responsibility lies with the authorities.

«If you open the border, of course everyone comes in, but the young men aren’t to blame. The authorities are responsible,» he said.

Others said the events had tested Ceuta’s reputation as a city where Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu communities have long lived side by side. Some also voiced concerns about security and questioned whether another mass crossing could happen again.

The U.S. State Department on Saturday raised its Travel Advisory for Ceuta to Level 3: Reconsider Travel in response to the surge, warning that the «massive and uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco to Ceuta may lead to unpredictable and dangerous security situations.»

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

El Partido de Concertación Nacional (PCN) de El Salvador emitió un comunicado oficial para desmentir las versiones que han circulado en redes sociales y diversos medios sobre la supuesta definición de su fórmula presidencial para las elecciones de 2027.

El documento, divulgado el pasado 31 de julio, aclara que el partido aún no ha elegido oficialmente a sus candidatos a presidente y vicepresidente de la República. En la publicación, el PCN explica que el 24 de julio de 2026 solicitó al Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) una prórroga del plazo para la realización de la elección interna de candidaturas presidenciales. En ese sentido, el organismo electoral resolvió concediendo una extensión de ocho días, iniciando el 29 de julio y finalizando el 5 de agosto de 2026.

La dirección del partido señala que el proceso interno sigue en marcha y, por respeto a sus estructuras partidarias, no existe hasta la fecha una fórmula presidencial electa.

El mensaje del Consejo Ejecutivo Nacional del PCN enfatiza que cualquier “publicación, imagen, anuncio o comentario que circule en redes sociales, medios de comunicación o plataforma digital o impresa” sobre la supuesta designación de candidatos presidenciales no representa “la posición oficial del partido”.

“El Partido de Concertación Nacional se compromete que vencido el plazo otorgado por el Tribunal Supremo Electoral informará a través de la Comisión Electoral Nacional los resultados oficiales”.

El comunicado fue publicado luego que, en los últimos días, circulara información que atribuía al PCN una fórmula encabezada por el general Alirio García Flamenco como candidato presidencial, y Mauricio Vilanova, exalcalde de San José Guayabal, en Cuscatlán Norte, como candidato a la vicepresidencia.

García Flamenco es un militar con extensa trayectoria en la Fuerza Armada, quien ha sido reconocido por liderar misiones en Irak y Afganistán. Su perfil ha sido percibido como el de una figura de peso en el ámbito militar y de seguridad nacional.

Mientras que Vilanova alcanzó popularidad durante su gestión municipal por mantener una postura de combate a las pandillas. Estas características han hecho que ambos nombres se posicionen en discusiones y rumores en torno a la estrategia electoral del PCN, aunque el partido insiste en que aún no existe decisión oficial.

Elecciones presidenciales 2027: proceso y candidatos confirmados

El proceso electoral en El Salvador para 2027 avanza bajo la supervisión del Tribunal Supremo Electoral. Para estas elecciones, el TSE ha abierto plazas temporales para personal de apoyo y ha instado a los salvadoreños en el exterior a actualizar su residencia para poder ejercer el sufragio. La Asamblea Legislativa aprobó un presupuesto de 172.1 millones de dólares para la organización de los comicios.

Hasta el momento, algunas fórmulas presidenciales han sido confirmadas por otros partidos, aunque la competencia oficial aún no está completamente definida. Medios nacionales indican que, al cierre de julio de 2026, las principales agrupaciones políticas continúan con sus procesos internos y definiciones de candidatos, y que figuras como Manuel Flores han desmentido anuncios prematuros sobre postulaciones para 2027. El debate sobre la participación de ARENA y FMLN también se mantiene vigente, mientras que la reelección indefinida ha sido tema de discusión en el contexto de reformas constitucionales recientes.

El PCN reitera en su comunicado el compromiso con la transparencia, la legalidad y el respeto a las normas democráticas en la elección de sus candidatos, asegurando que cualquier decisión se tomará conforme a la Constitución y la legislación electoral.

Unmoved by his former son-in-law’s X livestream denials Sunday, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called on Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, to resign from Congress and seek «serious psychological help.»

«If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them,» Moreno wrote in a lengthy statement on X. «He should not serve in the House of Representatives.»

It was a call repeated by Miller’s Democratic challenger in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District.

«No one credibly accused of holding a gun to his wife’s head and breaking their 2-year-old daughter’s collarbone belongs in the halls of power,» Brian Poindexter, the union ironworker and Brook Park city councilman, wrote in a statement Sunday.

GOP REP MAX MILLER PUSHES BACK AGAINST ABUSE ALLEGATIONS: ‘I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE’

Moreno delivered an even more blistering public rebuke an hour after Miller livestreamed a sweeping denial of domestic abuse allegations made by ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of the senator.

«As he has admitted privately, Max Miller needs serious psychological help,» Moreno wrote. «He is a danger to my daughter, and I hold my breath every minute he has custody of my granddaughter.»

The aftermath of the couple’s divorce had been «pure hell» for his family, Moreno began.

«As a father and husband, I can tell you the last two years have been pure hell for my wife Bridget, our daughter Emily, me, and our entire family in the aftermath of Emily’s divorce,» Moreno wrote.

5TH ACCUSER COMES FORWARD AGAINST REP ERIC SWALWELL AHEAD OF EXPECTED RESIGNATION

Emily Moreno and Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, have gone through a difficult divorce that continues to rock their family, the 2026 midterm elections and divide the Republican Party. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP)

«It has been horrific to watch this play out in full public view, all while knowing an innocent two-year-old girl is caught in the middle. Our priority has always been protecting our daughter and our granddaughter.

«Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible.»

Miller has categorically denied abusing Emily Moreno or their daughter. In the livestream, he said no court or government agency had substantiated an allegation of abuse against him and that he had never faced a criminal charge related to the claims.

The congressman said child welfare investigations involving his daughter had been closed without findings against him. He also argued that the allegations emerged as the former couple’s custody battle intensified and accused his former wife of using them as leverage.

DEMOCRATS TARGET MORE GOP HOUSE SEATS AFTER SOCIALIST VICTORIES ROCK LEFT-WING PRIMARIES

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, vowed to stay in the race Sunday, but the Republican Party might still pressure him to resign before Wednesday’s deadline so they can replace him before the November general election ballot deadline. (CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Emily Moreno has accused Miller of physically assaulting and threatening her during their marriage, including allegedly holding a gun to her head. Questions have also been raised about how the couple’s daughter suffered a broken collarbone. Miller denies causing the injury and said his daughter was no longer in his care when it was discovered.

Miller also denied an allegation that he threw boiling water on his former wife, saying he sprayed her with water from a kitchen sink during what he described as horseplay.

«It is shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career,» Emily Moreno spokesman Stefan Mychajliw wrote in a statement Sunday.

«There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that. 

«It is despicable and abhorrent that Miller lied on an unhinged and humiliating video for their daughter to watch one day.

«No loving parent would have ever used their daughter as a PR pawn to save their own political career. Miller can lie and spin on X, but he cannot do so under oath in a court of law. We are confident that justice will prevail in court.»

The extraordinary intervention from a sitting Republican senator adds pressure on Miller as a Wednesday deadline approaches for the party to replace him on the November ballot. Democrats have increasingly viewed the northeast Ohio district as a possible pickup opportunity amid the controversy.

Miller, a former advisor in President Donald Trump’s first administration who had Trump’s endorsement, insisted Sunday that he would remain the Republican nominee.

«I’m not dropping out of this race,» Miller said. «And I’ll win in November.»