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Ceuta border breach
Spain deployed its military to restore order at its border with Morocco in Ceuta after thousands of migrants streamed into the tiny Spanish territory, with at least nine dying in the attempt.
“to maintain security in the city of Ceuta”
NBC News reported that Spain’s government said Thursday evening it would send the Armed Forces to help the Civil Guard “to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,” and that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez would join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in visiting Ceuta Friday.
AP said the escalation came after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave mainly by swimming, and that the Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances as people crossed.
In Ceuta, the regional president Juan Jesús Vivas called the situation “absolute chaos,” telling The Associated Press that “It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,” and adding that the border had “totally collapsed.”
Emergency request denied
Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas formally requested a national emergency declaration, but Spain’s Ministry of the Interior said the mechanism could not be activated because “do not consider migratory flows as a risk to the National Civil Protection System.”
Fox News quoted White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly saying “President Trump has long warned Europe what would happen if they continue to implement far-left, globalist policies,” after the border between Ceuta and Morocco “collapsed Thursday.”
The Spanish government rejected the initial request to activate a national civil-protection emergency, and HESPRESS English said the Ceuta Assembly instead asked for a national emergency, a unified command structure, and reinforcement of the Civil Guard and national police.
Brussels Signal reported that Vivas told Onda Cero and Cadena SER that the daily rate of arrivals was “around 300,” and that the Centre for the Temporary Stay of Immigrants (CETI) built for 512 people was holding more than 700 on July 29.
What comes next
Ceuta officials said the crisis had turned into a matter for the State as a whole, with Brussels Signal reporting that Vivas warned the city would be back where it was in May 2021 if decisive action did not follow.
“could reach around 20,000 people”
El Correo said the Government mobilized the Army after rejecting a national emergency, and it described a deployment of about 60 personnel to support agents on the ground as the crisis could reach around 20,000 people.
Euronews reported that Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani called for closing Schengen to Spain and said he was “in favour” of closing the free travel zone with Spain, while Spain’s foreign minister summoned the Italian ambassador over what it called Tajani’s “inappropriate” comments.
Euronews also said the European Commissioner for Migration, Austria’s Magnus Brunner, stressed that protecting the EU’s external borders remains “a crucial part of our efforts to fight illegal migration,” and that the European Commission offered operational support through Frontex.
