Nearly four weeks after the massive influx of migrants into Ceuta, the crisis in the Spanish enclave remains unresolved. Pedro Sánchez’s government is now responding by convening an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council. More than 5,000 people are reportedly still in Ceuta, including around 2,500 minors. At the same time, political pressure on the government is mounting.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
by Marlon Gallego Bosbach
The migration crisis in Ceuta has entered a new political phase. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council for Tuesday, 25 August. At the centre of the meeting is the ongoing tense situation in the Spanish city on the North African coast.
The meeting is therefore taking place 26 days after the start of the massive influx on 30 and 31 July. According to current figures, around 80,000 people entered Ceuta irregularly at the time. A large number subsequently returned to Morocco. Nevertheless, the situation in the city remains tense. According to recent reports, more than 5,000 people are still staying in temporary accommodation or on the streets, including around 2,500 minors.
National Security Council to hold extraordinary meeting
Convening the National Security Council is an unusual step. The body normally meets at regular intervals. The extraordinary meeting has been called specifically to assess the potential impact of the situation in Ceuta on Spain’s national security.
Sánchez will chair the meeting on Tuesday morning. Alongside key members of the government, representatives from the security and defence authorities are also expected to attend. These include Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Defence Minister Margarita Robles, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, the director of Spain’s intelligence service, the CNI, and the Chief of the Defence Staff.
Juan Jesús Vivas, the President of Ceuta, has also been invited. He is expected to take part in the meeting via video conference.
More than 5,000 people still in Ceuta
The biggest challenge remains providing accommodation and essential support for those who stayed in Ceuta following the mass influx. The city has limited space and resources, and the sudden arrival of such a large number of people has placed enormous strain on existing facilities and infrastructure.
The situation is particularly challenging when it comes to minors. According to the latest figures, around 2,500 minors have now been identified. The authorities therefore face the task of arranging stable, legally compliant accommodation and care for a large number of children and young people.
The government has therefore already begun preparing for the transfer and redistribution of minors to mainland Spain. At the same time, €25 million in financial support for Ceuta has been announced.
Why minors have become a political flashpoint
The question of what should happen to unaccompanied minors is one of the most difficult aspects of the crisis. A straightforward return to Morocco is not legally possible. Each minor’s individual circumstances must be assessed, with their best interests being a key consideration.
This is precisely where the political positions clash. The conservative opposition is calling for the migrants to be returned much more quickly, while the government points to the applicable Spanish, European and international legal requirements. Spain’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Minors has also rejected calls for blanket returns, stressing that each case must be assessed individually.
Government seeks to centralise crisis management
Alongside the National Security Council meeting, the government has announced further measures. Plans include a unified coordination command to bring together the various state authorities involved in managing the crisis. The initiative is set to be overseen by Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres.
The ministries responsible for the interior, defence, foreign affairs, migration and territorial policy, along with the relevant security authorities, will all be involved. The aim is to prevent the various institutions from acting independently of one another and to ensure a more centralised response to the crisis.
Ceuta set to be classified as a matter of national security
Particularly noteworthy is the planned classification of the situation as a matter of national security interest. This could allow the Spanish state to further pool its resources and strengthen coordination between the various authorities.
The measure had been specifically requested by the authorities in Ceuta. The government aims to make clear that the situation is not being viewed solely as a migration or humanitarian issue.
What role is Morocco playing?
Relations between Spain and Morocco are also at the centre of the crisis. The circumstances surrounding the massive influx at the end of July have still not been fully clarified. Various parties have accused Morocco of at least indirectly facilitating the influx or of failing to do enough to prevent it.
The Spanish government, however, continues to emphasise its cooperation with Rabat. Sánchez highlighted Morocco’s collaboration shortly after the crisis began. According to the Spanish government, the current situation therefore differs from the crisis in 2021, when relations between Madrid and Rabat were considerably more strained.
At the same time, the question of responsibility for the events remains politically highly sensitive.
Spain’s intelligence service also comes under scrutiny
Another unanswered question concerns Spain’s intelligence service, the CNI. In Spain, there is growing debate over whether the security authorities had been given sufficient warning of a possible escalation ahead of the massive influx..
An official report had already highlighted increasing migration by sea in April, as well as the spread of misinformation that could potentially intensify social tensions. Whether, and to what extent, specific warnings about the mass influx had been issued therefore remains one of the questions still being examined politically.
Sánchez comes under increasing pressure
The crisis has now taken on a clear domestic political dimension. The conservative opposition has accused the government of responding too slowly. In particular, Sánchez has been criticised for continuing his summer break after his visit to Ceuta on 31 July, leaving much of the political response and scrutiny to his ministers.
Several ministers are now expected to address the handling of the crisis in the Spanish parliament. The government will have to respond to questions on border security, the treatment of minors, returns and cooperation with Morocco. The Ceuta crisis is therefore likely to trigger heated debate in parliament over the coming days.
Ceuta caught between a security crisis and a humanitarian emergency
For the people of Ceuta, the situation has long since become more than just a political debate. The city, with its limited space and infrastructure, continues to grapple with the consequences of the massive influx.
While some parts of the city have returned to something resembling normal life, other areas continue to be heavily affected by the crisis. Local residents have raised concerns about the strain on infrastructure, as well as the lack of clarity surrounding the future of the migrants who remain in Ceuta.
At the same time, the authorities face the difficult task of ensuring public safety while also safeguarding the rights and protection of migrants, particularly minors.
Economic impact on the city
The crisis is also having an impact on the local economy. The Spanish government therefore plans to expand the existing economic development plan for Ceuta. Businesses and self-employed workers affected financially by the exceptional situation are set to receive support.
In this way, Madrid is seeking to mitigate the economic impact of the crisis alongside addressing the security and migration issues.
What happens next?
Tuesday is likely to be crucial for the further development of the crisis. Sánchez will chair the National Security Council and, together with ministers and senior officials from the security and defence sectors, assess the current situation in Ceuta. At the same time, the political scrutiny of the events will begin in the Spanish parliament.
This includes questions over how many people are actually still in Ceuta and how accommodation and care for the around 2,500 minors can be organised. There are also questions over which migrants can be returned to Morocco and what legal requirements would have to be met for such returns. In addition, the possible role of Morocco in the events at the end of July is likely to be discussed, as is whether Spanish security authorities received specific warnings about the massive influx beforehand.
Last but not least, the government faces the challenge of developing measures to prevent a similar crisis from happening again in the future.
The crisis is far from over
Almost a month after the extraordinary influx, normality has yet to fully return to Ceuta. Although a large proportion of those who initially entered the city have since returned to Morocco, thousands remain in Ceuta, including a significant number of minors. At the same time, political pressure on the Sánchez government continues to grow.
By convening the National Security Council, Madrid is now making it clear that the situation is no longer being viewed solely as a short-term migration crisis. Tuesday could therefore prove to be a decisive turning point for Ceuta. The Spanish government aims to strengthen the coordination of the state response, assess the security situation and, at the same time, find a solution to the ongoing humanitarian situation.
Whether this succeeds will be of major significance not only for Ceuta, but also for relations between Spain and Morocco and for Spanish migration policy in the months ahead.
