The kings of Spain visit Ceuta nineteen years later and with the immigrant crisis still not resolved

MadridThere were some weeks, during the height of the Ceuta crisis, when the main question was: why are the monarchs not visiting the autonomous city after the massive entry of immigrants on July 30th? The day has finally arrived: this Tuesday, just the day after Hispanic Day, Felipe VI and Letizia will set foot in the autonomous city and Melilla for the first time. It will be the second time in democracy that the Spanish monarchy has set foot there, since until now only King Juan Carlos I and Sofia had visited Ceuta in 2007, just 19 years ago, which sparked a diplomatic crisis with Morocco due to its territorial claims over the autonomous city.

This Monday, at the reception at the Royal Palace on the occasion of October 12th, the trip to Ceuta was one of the issues that pursued the monarchs throughout the day. "I am excited," assured Felipe VI in an informal conversation with journalists. In fact, it will be the first time that the monarchs will spend the night in the autonomous city, something that has not happened before in democracy.

Just this Monday, also in an informal dialogue with journalists at the Royal Palace, Sánchez also confirmed in an informal conversation with journalists that Moroccan warships entered Spanish waters at the end of July, around Ceuta. The Spanish government, in turn, sent a frigate to stop the incursions. This Monday Sánchez did not explain the reasons for this movement by Morocco, but he stressed at all times that bilateral relations with Morocco are "very important" and he once again bet on good neighborliness. For this reason, he spoke of "isolated" incidents.

Tension with Morocco?

The goal of the visit by the Spanish monarchy is to express support for the people of Ceuta, who have been living in an exceptional situation since July 30th. In fact, the Spanish government continues with the screening process for the immigrants who are still in the autonomous city, numbering around 5,000 adults and some 2,500 minors, as stated this Monday by the minister in charge of the situation, Ángel Víctor Torres. He also defended in an interview that the situation has improved because there are "12,000 fewer people" than on August 10th. At the time, Felipe VI described the events as an "unacceptable violation" of a European and Spanish border and, in the context of Emmanuel Macron's visit, the King asked the European Union to also take responsibility for the situation.

However, the big question is whether this visit will cause a new crisis with Morocco. Recently, the Moroccan King Mohammed VI referred for the first time to the July 30th crisis without mentioning the visit of the monarchs. He asserted that in Spain there have been "irresponsible statements" regarding the migration problem and warned that he would not accept "pressure or blackmail".

The agenda

The King and Queen will depart from Madrid early this Tuesday. They are scheduled to arrive at 12:30 at the Ceuta City Hall, where they will be received by local authorities and hold a working meeting. Afterwards, they will participate in a tribute to those who died at sea on July 30th, specifically at the Sidi Embarek Muslim cemetery, where the immigrants who attempted to cross the border and died in the attempt are buried. It will not be until seven in the evening that the King will publicly address a few words following the visit. On Wednesday, the royal family will travel to Melilla.