CEUTA — Thousands of migrants crossed overnight from Morocco into Spain’s north African Ceuta enclave, a police source said today, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was set to arrive to manage the latest migrant crisis on the border.

In recent days, a total of around 40,000 migrants have crossed into the territory — population 80,000 — the source added.

The sudden massive influx has sparked a crisis for Spain’s government and prompted France to announce tighter checks on its border with Spain.

Madrid has sent troops to boost security in Ceuta.  Sanchez and his interior minister were due to visit the enclave’s Tarajal border today, the government said.

AFP reporters have seen hundreds of people — men, women and children — entering Ceuta by swimming around a border barrier with Morocco to enter the Spanish exclave, discarding flotation rings and clothes used in the risky passage.

So far, 18 people have died attempting to reach the Spanish enclave, the police source said.

“There was a steady stream of people all night long,” the source said, adding that migrants “continued to arrive overnight and are still arriving” early today.

It was not immediately clear what has prompted the recent surge of migrants from Morocco.

In 2021, thousands crossed to take advantage of Rabat loosening border controls during a diplomatic dispute with Spain.

Already the Cueta scenes of the surge in migrants were causing diplomatic fallout.

Italy yesterday called for Spain to be suspended from Europe’s open-borders Schengen zone, prompting Spain to summon Italy’s ambassador and accuse Rome of using the crisis for political gain.

Two top officials within US President Donald Trump’s White House yesterday also reiterated their anti-immigration politics using video of Ceuta.