The director of the Spanish police denies that the report on the massive entry into Ceuta blames Morocco

MadridA report that the National Centre for Immigration and Borders (Cenif) has sent to the National High Court regarding the massive entry of migrants into Ceuta at the end of July has fully shaken up political news. According to El Español, the document states that Moroccan gendarmes gave instructions to migrants to head towards certain areas in order to access Ceuta. Furthermore, other non-uniformed individuals monitored the process to direct immigrants towards El Tarajal. After the news became known, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, sent a letter to the Director General of the Spanish Police, Francisco Pardo, asking for explanations about the "veracity" of the report, arguing that it is "essential" for the Spanish government to be able to "adopt the appropriate decisions".

The Director General of the Spanish Police replied that it was the judge of the National High Court who has the case on her desk who gave orders to the investigators not to provide any information to their superiors about the preparation and content of the report. This is why he had no prior knowledge of it. Now María Tardón has authorized access to it and, despite what El Español has revealed, sources from the Ministry of the Interior assure that Francisco Pardo has communicated to Fernando Grande-Marlaska that "there is no police report" that "attributes" the "planning or execution" of the massive entry of migrants to the Moroccan Security Forces.

The case that originated this report, which the judge requested at the beginning of August, was born from a complaint by Iustitia Europa. The Prosecutor's Office, which is the only one that has had access to the document, has yet to take a position on whether the National Court is competent to investigate the facts. After the public ministry's pronouncement, the judge will have to decide whether to formally open a criminal case. The PP and Vox have appeared as popular accusations in the proceedings, where the complaints from Manos Limpias and Hazte Oír have also been accumulated. For the moment, the judge has not yet resolved it. She is also awaiting a report from the Civil Guard to clarify whether the armed institute received “any information in the preceding days” that “could have alerted” to the massive entry.

“We are the first interested parties in knowing what happened”

During the morning, the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, assured that Moncloa had learned of the report through the press: “At this moment we are analyzing the details, we do not want to anticipate events,” he said at a press conference. And he recommended “maximum caution” regarding the content of the document until they know it “in detail and in depth.” He stressed that the Spanish government is the “first interested party” in “knowing what happened” and wanted to deny that Pedro Sánchez's executive had hidden information – “Not at all,” he affirmed – while boasting of having “informed citizens in real time” with the “reliable and objective information available to them”.

In parallel, oblivious to the political storm unleashed by the Spanish police report, Pedro Sánchez shared a brief video on X to mark Ceuta Day, expressing his “conviction” that the autonomous city “will emerge strengthened” from this crisis and that next year it will be “stronger and more prosperous”. “I acknowledge that until normality is restored, the State's response is insufficient,” he admitted.

Meanwhile, the PP has lashed out at the Spanish government demanding explanations. Alberto Núñez Feijóo has accused Pedro Sánchez of “not being in a position to guarantee Spain's security” and has proclaimed that “the only way out” is to call immediate elections. The popular party's number two, Miguel Tellado, has called for the resignation of Fernando Grande-Marlaska for “shamelessness, incompetence, and lying.” Likewise, the president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, has wondered why “a judge had to be the one to request a report on what happened” and if “no one else had requested or proposed” that the facts be reported.

Sumar boasts that the report would support its stance

After the Spanish police report's content became known, Sumar has rushed to reiterate its suspicions about Morocco's role: “Continuing to say it had nothing to do [with the Ceuta crisis] is becoming increasingly difficult,” said Sumar's spokesperson in Congress, Verónica Martínez Barbero, who has asked for “clarity and transparency” from the Spanish government and has demanded that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if confirmed, “urgently summon” Morocco's ambassador to Spain to “demand explanations.”

For their part, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, has insisted that it is “evident” that Morocco has “some responsibility, by action or omission” in this crisis: “It seems like common sense,” he stressed. The Minister of Health and leader of Més Madrid, Mónica García, believes it is “unquestionable and undeniable.” Finally, the federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida (IU), Antonio Maíllo, recalled that he has been saying for weeks that it was “a mistake not to consider” Morocco's responsibility: “You cannot look the other way,” he said.

An alert at border crossings the day before the massive entry

The Cenif sent on July 29 a notice to the border posts of Ceuta and Melilla. The document, to which el ARA has had access, explained that there had been awareness of a “potential risk of irregular entries” the next day and pointed to the “possible consequences arising” from the Supreme Court's ruling on hot returns. And it added that there was an “extreme risk” of entries by swimming and coordinated fence jumps. Now, the director general of the Spanish police has explained that it was a “frequent risk alert” that “did not include any allusion” to a “possible massive entry”.