"There are those who want us to do magic": Puente warns of the lack of alternatives to the Ceuta port camp

BarcelonaAfter sources from the Spanish government reacted this Wednesday with "perplexity" to the decision of the National Court to halt the installation of the migrant camp at the port of Ceuta, Minister Óscar Puente has put words to this sentiment. "There are those who want us to perform magic," he stated in an interview with TVE. The head of Transport has warned of the lack of alternative locations to place the camp and has requested speed in their final decision regarding the future of the space.

Puente, who recalled that the camp seeks to streamline the identification and, if applicable, the expulsion of the migrants who entered the autonomous city on July 30, has stated that the dimensions of Ceuta make the options for locating the facility "very limited." "Going to the port is not a whim [...] It is not easy to find alternatives," he said, and added that the justice system will leave the Spanish government in a "dead end" if it prevents the camp from becoming operational. "We will see what possibilities we have to resolve this [the crisis in Ceuta] if we do not have spaces to do so," he said.

Shortly before, in an interview with Cadena Ser, fellow minister Óscar López had already defended that "the port is a good place" and that "there are not so many alternatives in Ceuta." And in the same vein as his government colleague, he has "begged" the National Court to act "quickly" and "urgently" to be able to bring "normality" back to the autonomous city.

The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has also demanded "responsibility", "institutional loyalty", and "impartiality" from the justice system in an interview on RNE. What the Spanish court has done is temporarily halt the camp, which was supposed to host a thousand people, while it studies the request from the Unified Police Union (SUP) that it not be located at the port.

"Vivas has not collaborated at any time"

Puente has not refrained from criticizing the wavering of the Ceutan government regarding the camp and has accused it of "profound disloyalty". "Mr. Vivas, beyond the verbal defense of Ceuta, has not collaborated with the Spanish government at any time," he said, which has deepened the clash between the state government and that of the autonomous city.

Both Puente and López have also wanted to fuel the criticism of judges and the rest of the "agents" who want the crisis in Ceuta to "fester," in the words of the Minister of Transport, who has especially criticized the "sticks in the wheels" from the PP. "There are individual people who seem to have heeded Mr. Aznar's call for whoever can do something to do it," added López in reference to some "corrupt" magistrates. "It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to find arguments to defend that there is impartiality in all decisions," added President Illa.

Permanent presence of Frontex in Ceuta and Melilla

Less forceful was the Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, who even spoke of "harmony" with presidents Vivas and the president of Melilla, Juan José Imbroda, after conveying to them the package of measures in a European context that the Spanish government will adopt in both cities. Within the framework of a forum organized by El País, he announced that they will request the permanent presence of Frontex (the European Border and Coast Guard Agency) in both enclaves, as well as a permanent seat on the European Committee of the Regions and a special funding allocation that recognizes the uniqueness of both borders.