Spain sent troops to the Ceuta enclave after thousands crossed from Morocco around the frontier fence to enter into Spanish territory, many swimming around the border.
Migration from Morocco into Spain's two north African territories, Ceuta and Melilla, has long been a sensitive issue between the two countries, as thousands cross the border at times.
Italy on Thursday called for Spain to be suspended from Europe's open-borders Schengen zone, prompting Spain to summon Italy's ambassador to Madrid.
On Thursday, AFP reporters saw a stream of adults and children entering Ceuta after having swum there. Discarded flotation rings and clothes were abandoned on the shore near where the border barrier meets the sea.
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Late on Thursday, Spain said troops would reinforce the Civil Guard to maintain security in Ceuta, where local officials said they now face a humanitarian and social emergency.
Sánchez will visit the Tarajal border crossing with Interior Minister Fernando Gramnde-Marlaska on Friday, the government said in a statement.
At least nine people died trying to cross into Spain, according to officials in Ceuta, a territory of 18.5 square kilometres (seven square miles) on the Moroccan coast.
Ceuta and Melilla have Europe's only two land borders with Africa.
Migrants walked through the streets of Ceuta, thanking the Spanish police and calling out: "Bye bye, Morocco, hello Spain."
Police and Civil Guards in Ceuta appeared to do little to intervene, although some officers attempted to direct the arrivals to the local migrant reception centre.
Morocco's authorities had not yet issued an official statement on the influx of people, but a Moroccan official source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the two countries had spoken about the matter.
In 2021, more than 10,000 migrants reached Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco over the course of two days, taking advantage of a loosening of border controls by Rabat during a crisis between the two countries.
That dispute erupted after Spain decided to host the leader of the Sahrawi independence movement, the Polisario Front, for medical treatment.
Polisario guerillas fought a long war with Morocco over independence of the Western Sahara region. Morocco's neighbour Algeria had supported the Polisario group.
That diplomatic crisis ended in 2022 when Madrid reversed its long-standing policy of neutrality and backed Morocco's plan for Western Sahara-- a move that had caused a diplomatic rift between Madrid and Algiers.
Sánchez visited Algiers on July 20th - the first such visit by a Spanish head of government in four years - marking a thaw in relations with Algeria.
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