Sánchez reprimands the "selfish" attitude of some EU countries for the migratory crisis in Ceuta

MadridThe entry of thousands of migrants into Ceuta, which has already resulted in 67 deaths, according to the latest police update, has triggered a diplomatic clash in the European Union over border protection and will lead to an extraordinary meeting of the Interior Ministers of the different member states this Tuesday by videoconference. The meeting will take place after the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, requested it on Saturday morning in a letter sent to the EU institutions. 22 other countries have also requested it, joining a letter initiated by Italy and Denmark calling for an analysis of the crisis in Ceuta and to "agree on a coordinated response and immediate actions for the control of the external border".

In his letter, Sánchez describes the reactions of some member states to the migratory crisis as "selfish, polarized, and outside the law" and, although he does not mention any specific country, the letter issued is a clear reference to the decision precisely taken by the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to tighten border controls with Spain for a month. Italy has also targeted the Spanish government's extraordinary regularization and linked it to the crisis. Sources from the Italian government indicated this Saturday that the reinforcement begins on August 1 and will be based on "selective checks" on non-EU individuals arriving from Spain.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has received the meeting proposal with "satisfaction". "Combating illegal migration requires solidarity and a joint European response," she said on social media. The European Commission has confirmed that no migrant who entered Ceuta has moved to Spain or any European Union country.

Spain has complained that the response of some countries has been very different from that of the Spanish government in the face of other similar crises in Europe. For example, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, recalled the 2023 migration crisis on the coasts of Lampedusa, in Italy, and the role the State played at the time. "This selfishness [of Italy] is a failure to assume the values of the European Union," Marlaska denounced from Ceuta.

The minister regretted that the State found itself "alone" in the face of the crisis and that they only had the "cooperation" of Morocco. Marlaska, in line with the message sent from Moncloa in the last 48 hours –we want to avoid a new diplomatic crisis–, said that the Alawite country is "a reliable partner, not a threat". He admitted, however, that both Spain and Morocco will have to assess what happened. Meanwhile, on the left of the PSOE, pressure is maintained on the neighboring country: Sumar, for example, has asked the UN to examine its responsibility in the massive entry of people.

On the other hand, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, has expressed his "concern and indignation" over the "serious" events that occurred in Ceuta, and also in Melilla, and said that the State must ensure the security of the autonomous cities and prevent these events from happening again. As reported by the Royal Household this Saturday, the King has followed "with great concern and indignation" the serious events of this migration crisis. Felipe VI has underlined the need to adopt all measures that transmit "in a united, clear and determined manner to the populations of Ceuta and Melilla the support and affection of the rest of Spain" and added: "The State must ensure their security and prevent these events – which, moreover, have resulted in the sad and tragic loss of dozens of lives – from happening again".

Battle for information

"I don't think [a similar crisis] will happen again. We have the instruments to prevent it," said Marlaska, who assured that Spanish intelligence services had not warned of what would happen on July 30. "They had not prepared any report warning [about the crisis in Ceuta]," he said. The Spanish government continues to point to the mafias and the "interested interpretation" of the recent Supreme Court ruling on returns.

The PP does not think the same. The leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has insinuated without proof that Pedro Sánchez's executive knew in advance what would happen on Thursday: "We want to know if it had knowledge, as it seems to be, that it knew days ago that an occupation and invasion like this would occur [...]. [A crisis like the one in Ceuta] is not unforeseeable. In general, there are strategic documents of the State that identify [the crisis] and specifically it seems that it was known since the beginning of this week," he stated this Saturday from Ceuta, where he traveled for the first time.

Feijóo did not hesitate to raise the tone about what happened in the autonomous city: "It has been a premeditated occupation," he stated. The leader of the PP once again attacked the Spanish government for managing the crisis, but also for its immigration policies. He also asked for explanations about Morocco's role: "It is essential to clarify what has failed in cooperation with Morocco [...]. Any good relationship between states requires reciprocity," he said, although he did not directly confront the Alawite country.

From the PSOE, they lamented that the PP opts for "political opportunism" instead of collaborating. "Spain switched off, Spain burned, and Spain invaded," Feijóo stated, referring to the different crises that the State has suffered and which the Popular Party sees as a way to attack the Spanish government.

Recovery of "normality"

Meanwhile, police sources anticipate that the death toll could rise in the coming hours, as some bodies are only just being found in the water now. For the moment, the avalanche of people who tried to enter has already left 67 dead, according to the latest update this Saturday at midday.

The night in Ceuta has passed with "normalcy", as reported by the Ministry of the Interior, although there are still some young migrants wandering around the city, and shops and restaurants remain closed. In fact, the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, rejected this Saturday at midday that one can speak in these terms. Also entities and organizations on the ground, such as the Ceuta Doctors' Union or the Autonomous City's Food Bank.

Regarding Melilla, the Spanish government delegation reported this Saturday morning that the Beni Ensar border is being reopened "gradually". "It will be done in phases and, for the moment, only for the transit of vehicles for the "Operation Crossing the Strait", Interior sources indicated. In this autonomous city, tranquility has also been regained drop by drop, after an intense night marked by different attempts to enter by groups of young North African migrants, according to EFE.

The Spanish government assures that of the almost 50,000 people who crossed irregularly from Morocco to Ceuta, more than 48,000, that is, "practically all of them", have already been returned to the Alawite country. The fluctuation of figures with the data provided by other authorities –the government of Ceuta spoke this Friday night of 60,000 entries and the return of 53,000 people– is the result of the "complexity" of the crisis, Interior has acknowledged. It should be noted that arrivals began to occur even before Thursday, although that was the day of maximum tension. "It is very difficult to specify [a figure]", Grande-Marlaska acknowledged from Ceuta.

The Minister of the Interior has not wanted to consider the crisis resolved, but has said that the situation has been "reversed". The State, Marlaska said, will continue to reinforce the deployment of security forces, including the army.

Border reinforcement

This Saturday morning, the Spanish government has begun deploying a "containment barrier" on the El Tarajal jetty, in Ceuta. According to sources from the Ministry of the Interior, it is a pneumatic barrier 500 meters long, with a surface height of 30 to 70 centimeters and a second part submerged at a depth of one meter. "This structure is combined with a first line of anchored buoys provided by the navy," they explain from the Interior Ministry. An intermediate channel has also been drawn which will allow the Civil Guard's vessels to "guarantee the protection" of the barrier.

Vox and the anti-immigration discourse

Finally, Vox will also travel to Ceuta, but they will do so this Sunday. Like the PP, Santiago Abascal's party has not hesitated to use the crisis to pressure around migratory and integration policies. In addition to demanding an end to aid for NGOs that welcome migrants, they have threatened that if the government "does not expel immigrants, Spaniards will." Faced with this, the fear for some is that Vox will use Ceuta in the same way it used the Murcian city of Torre Pacheco: as a laboratory for the far-right to fuel the anti-immigration discourse.