The Spanish government censors the PP's proposal to confine Ceuta: "It is a major irresponsibility"

MadridThe right and the far-right quickly found fertile ground in Ceuta to toughen their anti-immigration discourse. And the latest statements by PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo on how to address the health situation in the autonomous city – he called for immigrants to be confined for fear of an epidemic – have earned him new criticism from the Spanish government, but also from epidemiological experts who have debunked the measure to continue fueling this discourse.

"It is a major irresponsibility," said Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Saiz this Monday. "The PP must abandon its ultra drift and should stand with the government in this situation," added Saiz, who did not hesitate to warn that "what is contagious is xenophobia [...] We have seen Feijóo's rallies more similar to those of [Santiago] Abascal," she asserted in an interview with TVE.

Saiz appealed to "listen to science" to face the health situation that Ceuta is suffering, with people who entered swimming from Morocco on July 30 and who, more than three weeks later, have still not been able to receive adequate medical attention. Doctors and nurses in the autonomous city who have been doubling shifts for days have reported a "collapse" of services.

In this regard, the Ministry of Health met this Monday with the autonomous communities to activate a solidarity mechanism and send vaccines to Ceuta. The key to such a shipment lies in the fact that the vaccination status of many migrants is unknown, not in the fear of an epidemic, unlike what the right has suggested. Professionals do not know if many people are vaccinated against diseases such as measles or chickenpox.

"We are very concerned about this identification [between migrants and contagious diseases]," recently warned Pello Latasa, vice-president of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE). "The main focus of epidemiological risk does not lie with migrants, but with the very harsh and undignified living conditions they have been forced into since they arrived," added Latasa. The SEE has rejected the idea of a confinement.

A delegation from the Ministry of Health, led by the Secretary of State for Health and the president of the National Institute for Health Management (Ingesa), traveled to the autonomous city this Monday to assess the impact of the migratory crisis on Ceuta hospital and primary care services.

More judicial reinforcements

Regarding the current reality in the city, after weeks in which the focus has been on border control and reinforcement and the return of all migrants, as defended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, the Spanish government maintains that it is redoubling its efforts to provide a humanitarian response to the people who are still living in precarious conditions on the streets of Ceuta. For now, 1,800 people have moved to sleep in the two designated temporary reception facilities. The exact figures of immigrants still sleeping without shelter are not clear, but the minister has assured that in the El Trampolín beach area, where most of the people who crossed the border are concentrated, daily food assistance continues to be provided to 4,000 people.

One of the most urgent situations in Ceuta is the management of minors: the Spanish government states that there are at least 2,500 in the city, a figure that is not updated and which everyone assumes will be higher, taking into account that registrations with the authorities are ongoing.

In parallel, the Secretary of State for Justice has sent a letter to the General Council of the Judiciary for reinforcements to be processed for the courts of Ceuta. "The [Justice] ministry has everything ready," the letter indicates.

Relations with Morocco

In diplomatic terms, and after the media spotlight has once again focused on Felipe VI has been placed on Felipe VI and a possible visit to Ceuta, the Spanish government continues to avoid opening a diplomatic crisis with Morocco (only the minority partner, Sumar, has been harsh against Rabat). "Without Morocco, the situation in Ceuta could not have been resolved, and 90% of the immigrants who entered the city would not have returned to the country," Saiz stated. "Morocco is a reliable partner in migration matters," the minister defended, following speculations about the Moroccan regime and a passivity at the border on July 30, when tens of thousands of people entered.

This week, up to eight ministers from Pedro Sánchez's executive will appear in Congress to account for the management of the migratory crisis. One of the unknowns is precisely the role of the Alawite country in the crisis and whether, as various voices have suggested, it is a new way of pressuring Spain and Europe by using the migrant population as a bargaining chip. "The main message for the current Spanish government, the government of the future, and even the European Union, is how essential the southern neighbor [Morocco] is for maintaining border control and the stability of cities like Ceuta and Melilla," reflected Irene Fernández, a researcher and specialist in the Maghreb, this weekend in ARA.