Above all, they mean Spain's controversial move to allow hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants apply for residence and work permits and "regularise" their status. Sanchez himself points instead to a recent ruling by Spain's Supreme Court: it said those who enter by sea cannot be pushed back immediately. The crowd heading for Ceuta didn't need to pay smugglers, though, because most were Moroccan and the route is well known. Migrants have shown social media posts to reporters with people shouting that "Spain is Open" and jumping into the sea. The crowds who made it to kiss the shore in Ceuta with joy were met with nothing.