WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump sought to make political capital out of the migration crisis in Spain on July 31, casting the sudden surge of migrants into the territory of Ceuta as a warning for the United States if his opponents get into power.

“It’s terrible. Remember that picture. That’s going to be us in three years if the wrong side gets in,” he was quoted as saying by Fox News.

“If the Democrats get in, you will not live a very good life.”

The White House messaging was clearly focused on drawing links between the situation in Ceuta – a tiny Spanish territory on the Moroccan coast – and Trump’s signature immigration crackdowns at home.

With polls showing Trump’s support has fallen into the low 30 per cent range and Democrats hoping to win at least the House of Representatives in November midterm elections, the crisis offers Republicans a chance to return to one of their political strongpoints.

Trump’s election victory over Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 was fuelled in part by voter worries over uncontrolled migration on the US-Mexico border and his lurid warnings of migrants coming to murder Americans and even to eat their pets.

Trump’s vice-president, J.D. Vance, posted news footage on July 31 of migrants pouring into Ceuta on X and wrote it highlighted “radical left-wing globalist policies that have enabled the Invasion of the West”.

“These images out of Spain are an unfortunate reminder of the consequences of mass migration,” Vance posted on X.

Late on July 30, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, a chief architect of Trump’s anti-migration crackdown, posted video of the Ceuta crisis and said “Democrats will see your home trampled and stolen by invaders and they will rejoice.” AFP

Trump says ‘terrible’ Spain migrant crisis warning for US