Bolaños asks for "confidence": "The State has the will to return normality to Ceuta"

MadridIn the midst of a clash within the Spanish government over the CNI's role in the Ceuta crisis, the Minister of the Presidency and Justice, Félix Bolaños, will appear this Thursday before the Joint Committee on National Security in Congress, with the aim of accounting for the management, within his competences, of the massive influx of migrants on July 30 to the autonomous city. However, at the outset, he wanted to send a direct message to Ceuta, where tensions have been rising in recent hours over the situation with the migrants: "I ask for the trust of the citizens of Ceuta. The State is willing to restore normality to Ceuta." "Spain is a border country and this means we have to face great challenges [...]. But we have the capabilities to face it," he stated.

What happened on July 30? According to Bolaños, the massive entry of up to "70,000 migrants" occurred due to the "distortion" of a Supreme Court ruling rejecting pushbacks. He said that, from then on, two "fake news" were generated on social media that exacerbated Ceuta's already usual "migratory pressure": on the one hand, it was spread that the border was open; and, on the other, that if you entered by swimming, you could not be returned.

From then on, Bolaños explained that the State reacted by "reinforcing" services in the autonomous city — in the case of Justice, the officials dependent on the ministry and also the Prosecutor's Office — and increasing information exchange between ministries, and guaranteed that all necessary resources would be allocated to do so and guaranteed "coordination" following the creation of the single command led by Ángel Víctor Torres to resolve the crisis. The objective, according to the Ministry of Justice, is to progressively return all migrants, but to do so with respect to the "law", which requires analyzing each case individually for asylum seekers and also minors.

In this regard, Bolaños has asked for "solidarity" from the rest of the autonomous communities, most of them governed by the PP, to accommodate these minors, at least temporarily. "It is not patriotic to deny collaboration to Ceuta," he said, targeting the Popular Party. In any case, he also emphasized that "90%" of the people who entered irregularly on July 30 in Ceuta returned to Morocco the same day, which — he said — is also a product of "diplomatic work" with Morocco.

At the same time, Bolaños assured that the Spanish government has been present in the autonomous city throughout the legislature. Unlike other presidents, Bolaños emphasized, such as José María Aznar, who is in Ceuta today, Pedro Sánchez has visited the town up to four times this term. In addition, he highlighted that prior to the crisis, an investment plan of up to 180 million euros was made.

This Thursday, the former president of the Spanish government, José María Aznar, is also visiting Ceuta and meeting with Juan Vivas, president of the autonomous city. Both are scheduled to participate in an institutional event and deliver speeches. FAES, the private foundation directed by Aznar, has already harshly criticized Sánchez for his "inability" to manage the crisis and for not having foreseen the "pull effect" caused by the Supreme Court ruling prohibiting hot returns. For his part, Minister Torres has questioned the necessity of this visit and the role Aznar may play, urging him to "not generate more conflict".

Later it will be the turn of the Minister of Health, Mónica García, and the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, who is in charge of the single command managing the migration crisis. Torres will account for his role as head of managing the crisis in Ceuta with the aim of strengthening coordination between the authorities and administrations involved, both from the central government and the autonomous government. He will do so in the extraordinary session before the Joint Committee on National Security of Congress, where Margarita Robles already appeared on Wednesday. In addition, he is also scheduled to explain Margarita Robles. Furthermore, it is also planned that he will explain the resources and facilities available to face the crisis.