Irish Govt to chair EU meeting on Ceuta migrant crisis

An emergency meeting of EU interior and justice ministers to discuss the migrant crisis in Ceuta will take place later today.

It will be convened by Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan as Ireland holds the EU Presidency.

The images of over 50,000 people swimming across the border from Morocco to the Spanish North African terriorty of Ceuta pushed immigration right to the top of the list of issues to be dealt with during Ireland's EU Presidency.

Spain has blamed disinformation on social media for the surge of mostly young men across the border and said 48,000 of them were quickly returned to Morroco.

Italy responded by temporarily suspending its Shengen open border agreement with Spain, prompting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to complain to the EU and call for today's meeting.

EU ambassadors expressed solidarity with Spain at a preparatory meeting yesterday, and Spain indicated that it will use today's meeting to call for more of the controversial return hubs, approved by the European Parliament this year.

This would see rejected asylum seekers sent to third-party countries while their deportation to their home countries is organised.

Minister O'Callaghan has said he would not rule out using return hubs, but Taoiseach Micheál Martin said last month that Ireland currently has no plans to do so.