Spanish government and PP enter into an exchange of recriminations over Ceuta

MadridThe exchange of reproaches is not an anomaly in Spanish politics. And Ceuta, which has been experiencing a humanitarian emergency for weeks, is no exception. Pedro Sánchez's government now accuses the PP of going to Ceuta to further "tension" the situation. This Tuesday, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, questioned the visit of the PP's deputy secretary, Cuca Gamarra, to the autonomous city. "When we see the presence of the Popular Party, here in Ceuta, the question for me is very clear. Are they coming to collaborate, to improve the situation or to take photos with agitators and tense [the situation]", she criticized in an interview on "Cadena SER. Gamarra defended herself by demanding the Spanish government restore normality in Ceuta: "We are not here to warm things up. We are here to demand, ask for, and claim normality for Ceuta [...] the recovery of the freedoms and rights of the citizens of Ceuta who today cannot walk freely because they are afraid," she asserted. In recent hours, the PP has accused the Spanish government of "inaction."

A few hours after the entry of tens of thousands of people into Ceuta on July 30, the Popular Party did not hesitate to move to the autonomous city. Since then, different PP figures, starting with its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, have visited the city and met with the government of Juan Jesús Vivas (PP). From Ceuta, they have criticized the Spanish government's management, holding it responsible for the crisis. But they have also demanded the immediate expulsion of all immigrants. Gamarra herself took advantage of Tuesday's visit to do so again. The popular leader stated that there are still no official figures on how many people remain in Ceuta and affirmed that "it is not less than 10,000," a figure that is not officially confirmed. She called for more material and human resources to identify migrants and process the corresponding applications.

The request has been made by the president of Ceuta for days, who in recent hours has escalated his tone and even issued an ultimatum to the Spanish government: if the situation is not resolved within 30 days, he has threatened to go to court. Sources from various ministries of the Spanish government consulted by ARA express surprise at the methods of Juan Jesús Vivas's government (PP), with whom they acknowledge they usually work in a "cordial" manner regarding the management of the arrival and reception of migrants.

From Pedro Sánchez's executive, they link Vivas's change of tone to various factors: pressure from the PP leadership, but also pressure from Vox in Ceuta, which in the last elections narrowed the gap with Vivas, who has been governing for 25 years. At the same time, they point to Vivas's need to avoid creating a "sense of permanence" for migrants in Ceuta. "He doesn't want anything to suggest that someone might stay. If spaces are opened now, it gives the impression that they might return in the future, and they don't want that," government sources indicate.

However, Saiz has defended the executive's response to criticism for taking almost twenty days to enable new spaces. "The government did not have to come to Ceuta. The government of Spain is in Ceuta," he limited himself to saying, assuring that the ministry has a permanent presence there.