Trump Says Spain Will Be 'Ruined' by Migrant Crisis as Country Banks on 100M Tourists, Worth 13% of Its Economy

Donald Trump has told GB News that Spain will become a ruined country because of migration. The warning comes as Spain counts on a record 100 million foreign visitors this year. Its own trade body values that sector at about 13 per cent of the economy.

The president made the remarks five weeks after more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, Spain's enclave on the North African coast, in a single day.

Nineteen million British visitors travelled to Spain last year, more than from any other country. Italy is now checking travellers who arrive from Spain, and British passport holders fall within those checks.

What Trump Said, and What He Has Said Before

Trump told the broadcaster, which obtained the interview, that 'Spain will be a ruined country.' He linked the warning to defence spending, saying Spain does not pay enough within the NATO military alliance. He also said Britain has its own migration problem, although he claimed it is less visible than the migration pressures seen in North Africa.

This is not the first time Trump has criticised Spain. At the NATO summit in Ankara on 8 July 2026, he called Spain 'a wasted cause' and called for an end to American trade with the country.

What Happened at Ceuta on 30 July

Around 72,000 people entered Ceuta during the mass border crossing that began on 30 July, according to a House of Commons Library briefing published on 13 August. Spanish authorities initially gave a lower estimate, then revised it to about 72,000.

Juan Jesús Vivas, the mayor of Ceuta, said at least 100 people died during the crossings. Spanish authorities said they returned 69,500 people to Morocco and described the returns as voluntary.

Estimates have varied over how many people remained in Ceuta. Spanish authorities estimated about 2,500 in early August, while Vivas said there were between 3,000 and 5,000 on 6 August and later raised his estimate to between 8,000 and 11,000. Reuters reported on 2 September that about 10,000 migrants remained.

Spain's Supreme Court ruled on 8 July that the immediate return procedure did not apply to people who arrived by sea because they had not crossed a physical border. The ruling did not give sea arrivals a right to remain in Spain or prevent all returns. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the crossing 'a violation of Spain's territorial integrity,' and Spain began installing a 500-metre floating barrier on 1 August.

Where the Money Actually Moved

Spain's National Statistics Institute recorded a record 96.8 million international tourists in 2025. They spent 134.7 billion euros, or about £115.6 billion at the 2 September exchange rate. Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu said in July that Spain was on track to receive 100 million foreign tourists in 2026.

The exact share of the economy depends on how tourism is measured. Exceltur estimates that tourism contributed about 13 per cent of Spain's GDP in 2025 and forecasts a 13.1 per cent share in 2026. The official INE Tourism Satellite Account puts tourism's contribution at 12.6 per cent of GDP for 2024.

The Ceuta crisis had a severe local economic impact, but the reported effect has so far been concentrated in the enclave. Travel agencies reported that roughly 90 per cent of August trips were cancelled, while some businesses estimated sales fell by as much as 75 per cent. Elsewhere, demand remained strong, with the UK remaining Spain's largest source market in 2026.

What British Travellers Can Expect at the Airport

The most noticeable potential impact for travellers is longer queues. Italy reintroduced temporary border controls on travellers arriving from Spain by air and sea and has extended them until 15 September. Spain introduced reciprocal temporary border controls and document checks on travellers arriving from Italy from 8 August.

Italy's interior ministry said the checks are 'targeted and selective' and that EU citizens travelling between the two countries are not affected. British passport holders are non-EU nationals and may therefore be subject to the document checks.

The political dispute has also continued. Twenty-two EU leaders called for an emergency meeting of interior ministers on 1 August, while Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner criticised Spain's wider regularisation policy. The European Commission said it saw no direct link between that policy and the Ceuta crisis, and Spain's extraordinary regularisation does not apply to people who crossed into Ceuta on 30 July.

Sánchez said control had been restored within 48 hours, while EU officials said there had been no onward movement to mainland Spain or other EU member states. Interior ministers meeting on 4 August also expressed their support for Spain.

The 100 million figure is a forecast, not a final total. Spain received 96.8 million international tourists in 2025, and the final 2026 total will not be known until next year.