Mónica García points to Morocco's responsibility in the Ceuta crisis: "It had the key to the door"

The Minister of Health, Mónica García, pointed out this Friday Morocco's responsibility in the massive entry of migrants registered in Ceuta on July 30 and 31. The Más Madrid leader believes that the neighboring country had a good part of the border control in its hands and could have acted "by action or omission".

"In that responsibility, it held the key to the door and either opened it or left it open," she stated during an interview with Rafa Latorre on the 'Más de uno' program, on 'Onda Cero'. García has demanded that the investigation determine the extent of the direct or indirect participation of the Moroccan authorities.

The minister has defended that responsibility for the border is shared and has asked to prevent diplomatic prudence from serving to evade pending explanations. "Diplomacy is not at odds with forcefulness," she maintained during the interview granted to 'Onda Cero'.

Her words come after the statement released this Thursday by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rabat rejected any involvement in what happened, assured that no evidence accredits an intervention by its authorities, and protested against attempts to turn the country into a "scapegoat" for the Spanish political dispute.

The Moroccan government also asked why Spain continues to host people who entered Ceuta irregularly and assured it was willing to readmit both adults and minors. The statement appeared at a time of special bilateral tension, marked by the investigation into the actions of Moroccan forces and by the approval in Congress of the initiative to recover Spanish nationality for the Sahrawi population.

García has expressly championed this last decision. "Yesterday we healed a wound," she assured about a measure that, she defended, recognizes Spain's historical relationship with Western Sahara and restores a right taken away for decades.

The "failure" of handing over the border to Morocco

The Minister of Health has placed the origin of the problem in the European policy of outsourcing border protection to third countries. This model has given Morocco decisive capacity over the European Union's only land border with Africa and has left Spain exposed when cooperation fails.

García has described this dependence as a "failure" and has questioned that European border control should be conditioned by the decisions of a State that can use its collaboration as a tool for pressure. Her position broadens the focus regarding the line expressed by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who on September 3 assured that there was still no evidence of an operation organized by the Moroccan Executive.

The minister has also not affirmed that Rabat planned the massive entry. She has placed its responsibility on the control it exercised over the border and has asked to investigate whether the actions of its authorities responded to a deliberate decision, to passivity, or to an inability to contain the movements.

The report prepared by the National Immigration and Borders Center (CENIF) itself described an insufficient Moroccan police presence and a particularly permissive attitude for several hours. Morocco rejects these conclusions and maintains that its agents acted to avoid a violent response that would have caused an even greater number of victims.

García has also questioned the response of the Spanish services. The minister believes that no institution calculated the true magnitude of what was going to happen and has criticized the channel used by the National Intelligence Center (CNI) to transmit its warnings.

Declassified documents show that the CNI contacted the Cabinet of the Government Delegation in Ceuta on July 29 and warned of calls disseminated in groups with around 180,000 followers. The messages spoke of an attempt to enter "by sea and land", although they did not anticipate the final volume of the mobilization.

"If you dimension this as a rupture or a violation of the integrity of our territory, I understand that you give an alert to the minister, to your superior or to the chain of command, but you don't send a WhatsApp to the Government Delegation," García reproached. The minister spoke of "lack of foresight on the part of everyone", including both Spain and Morocco.

Sira Rego also demands answers from Rabat

The Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, also spoke this Friday after the Moroccan statement. During an interview on 'La Hora de La 1', on 'TVE', she considered it difficult to maintain that a movement of such magnitude could occur without the knowledge of the authorities of the neighboring country.

"80,000 people do not move without Morocco having some kind of knowledge of the situation," Rego stated. The minister has called for the investigation to remain open and has placed the crisis within the failure of a migratory model that hands over effective control of the Spanish border to a third country.

Rego also responded to Rabat's expressed willingness to receive the minors. Before July 30, Spain had already sent Morocco around 600 family reunification files that remain unanswered. The minister explained that there are cases in which the minor wants to return and their family agrees to receive them, but the Moroccan authorities also do not complete the necessary checks.

The return of minors requires an individual assessment, identification of the family, and guarantees regarding reception conditions. Rego has argued that these procedures should continue while the children are transferred from Ceuta to suitable resources on the Peninsula.

The first five girls have been welcomed this week in Navarra through a bilateral agreement with the autonomous city. The Government intends to extend this mechanism to another 500 especially vulnerable minors, many of whom are exposed to sexual violence, trafficking, forced marriages, or situations of abandonment.

Rego has urged Rabat to respond to the pending files and allow the execution of reunifications that meet all guarantees. Until Morocco completes these checks, the Spanish administrations must maintain guardianship and continue with transfers from Ceuta.