Ceuta is currently engulfed in chaos, and this loss of control is significantly harming the leftist government in Madrid. Nearly four weeks after a significant influx of migrants from Morocco, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has finally decided to take charge following his return from summer vacation in the North African exclave. In response to accusations from the conservative leader of Ceuta that Madrid has "abandoned" the city, the central government has enacted a sudden strategic shift and taken control of the situation.
For weeks, ministers in Madrid had fostered the impression that the remaining migrants would return home on their own, similar to the more than 70,000 individuals who swam to Spain at the end of July and subsequently returned voluntarily to Morocco. However, the National Security Council convened an emergency session and declared a "situation of interest for national security" in Ceuta. Following a cabinet decision, Territorial Minister Ángel Víctor Torres has been appointed to oversee the entire crisis management effort, supported by a committee consisting of eleven ministers and representatives from the regional government of Ceuta. His primary objective is to restore "full normalcy" as swiftly as possible.
This unification of command was a demand made by the president of Ceuta and the conservative People's Party (PP) to which he belongs, since late July. On Tuesday evening, hundreds of protesters in Ceuta accused the Madrid government of having "abandoned" their city. Defense Minister Robles acknowledged shortcomings in front of a parliamentary committee, offering apologies to all those in Ceuta who may feel "abandoned or inadequately supported." She emphasized that the government stands in solidarity with them and shares their suffering. Additionally, six other ministers are expected to address parliament as part of a communication offensive by Monday, with Sánchez set to follow on September 3.
As the ongoing loss of control in Ceuta continues, internal political pressure mounts on Sánchez's leftist minority government, which has branded the most liberal migration policy in Europe as its hallmark. By pursuing ongoing mass regularization efforts, the government aims for integration rather than isolation. According to El País, “immigration will be the decisive issue for winning the next elections,” which must occur by the summer of 2027.
The opposition PP has accused the government of failing in its migration and security policies in light of the "invasion" in Ceuta, calling for stricter border controls and demanding more stringent regulations for the legalization of foreigners in Spain. The migration crisis in Ceuta has reportedly led to an alarming surge in xenophobic hate messages online, with over 3,000 instances per day, according to the state observatory for racism and xenophobia.
New government coordinator Torres has indicated that the repatriation of migrants from Morocco is a priority for the government. The PP insists that all migrants return, including unaccompanied minors and potential asylum seekers. However, Torres dismissed this demand as populist, arguing that it is legally impossible.
To date, the central government has been unable to provide reliable figures on how many migrants, minors, and asylum seekers remain in Ceuta since the end of July. The regional government estimates the total at around 10,000 in a city with a population of 84,000. In Madrid, officials stress that 90 to 95 percent of the more than 70,000 individuals who arrived in Ceuta have since returned voluntarily to Morocco.
According to Minister Torres, around 1,400 minors have been registered so far. However, Economic Minister Carlos Cuerpo reported that approximately 2,900 children and adolescents have been identified. Since Friday, about 1,800 adults have been accommodated in two military tent camps. Approximately 4,000 are receiving humanitarian aid, which is increasingly critical as there have been initial cases of scabies and tuberculosis.
Mass deportations without individual case assessments are legally unfeasible, yet authorities are not equipped to handle thousands of cases and have been unable to even clear individuals from the streets. Several sports stadiums are now being repurposed for this task. For minors, medical assessments are often needed to determine their age, followed by a detailed individual report. Before any transfer to Morocco, legal guardians must be verified, and an additional report must confirm that there is no danger to the minors and that they do not face persecution that would warrant asylum claims.
According to the latest available statistics from the public prosecutor's office, there were over 16,000 unaccompanied minors in Spain at the end of 2024. Four were repatriated to Colombia, three to Romania, and one to France; however, no minors have been sent back to Morocco since 2021. Following the last major influx into Ceuta five years ago, several hundred minors were sent back to Morocco, but this was later deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.
As reported by faz.net.
