EU chief Ursula von der Leyen condemned the mass migrant influx into Spain's Ceuta enclave as "unacceptable," vowing stronger border controls, action against smuggling networks and swift returns. She assigned two EU commissioners to support Spain as around 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco in 24 hours, leaving at least 34 dead amid clashes and a deepening border crisis.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday condemned the situation at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, calling the scenes emerging from the border "unacceptable" and stressing that the European Union would not tolerate irregular entries into its territory.

In a post on her official X account, von der Leyen said the EU's external borders must be protected and insisted that migration should take place in accordance with the bloc's rules.

"The images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable. We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules," she wrote.

She called for an immediate halt to dangerous border crossings, the dismantling of human smuggling networks and the swift return of individuals who are not entitled to remain in the European Union, in line with existing EU regulations.