Feijóo denies return to normality in Ceuta and the PP demands explanations for the delay of reinforcements

The Popular Party has turned this Sunday Ceuta into the center of a coordinated offensive against Pedro Sánchez's migration management. Alberto Núñez Feijóo has remained in the autonomous city, has met with representatives of police and civil guards and has denied that normality has returned to its streets, while Juan Bravo, Miguel Tellado and Elías Bendodo have increased pressure on the Government from different fronts.

The offensive comes after the massive entry registered on Thursday and as Ceuta tries to recover its usual activity. The latest official balance has raised to 72 the number of deceased people, while the Security Forces and Corps continue to locate migrants who remain in different parts of the city and completing returns to Morocco.

Feijóo insisted this afternoon that it is enough to walk the streets to verify that the situation described by the Government is still far off. "For humanity, for coexistence and for security, we must continue working to end this crisis and ensure that it never repeats itself," he wrote on X. The leader of the PP has used his stay to contrast his presence in Ceuta with Sánchez's return to Lanzarote.

During his meetings with the Unified Association of Civil Guards and with representatives of JUPOL, SUP, CEP and UFP, Feijóo heard complaints about the pressure endured at the border perimeter and the lack of human and material resources. According to the AUGC, the agents have conveyed to the opposition leader the difficulties they have faced in recent days and the coordination problems detected in the operation.

The president of the PP has committed to promoting a framework of action that guarantees permanent information, more authority for agents, a single operational command and a pre-prepared coordination protocol. He also criticized that the initial reinforcement was limited, according to his version, to 17 police officers and has demanded more resources to protect the southern border of Spain and the European Union.

Feijóo has also defended that, if Morocco stopped accepting new returns, Spain should process the expulsion of those who had entered irregularly through the procedures provided by law. His approach maintains an important difference with the demand launched by Tellado, who has called for the immediate return of all people who arrived during the crisis.

The PP questions the warnings and reinforcements

Juan Bravo has served as another of the PP's voices from Ceuta. The popular deputy secretary has thanked the response of the people of Ceuta, the unity achieved by the parties of the Assembly and the work of police, civil guards, health workers, private security, Port Police and Civil Protection. He then directed his questions to the Executive. "Did he know this could happen? Were there reports? Why did the reinforcements arrive on Friday and not before?", he asked.

Bravo recalled that the president of Ceuta, Juan Vivas, had been requesting reinforcements since Monday and reproached that they arrived coinciding with Sánchez's visit. He also criticized that the president remained less than two hours in the city and that Fernando Grande-Marlaska left Ceuta after assuring that he would remain there until the situation normalized.

The number of returns also does not allow to accurately determine how many people remain in Ceuta. The figure of more than 73,000 departures released this Sunday may include migrants who had arrived before the massive entry on Thursday, while police sources acknowledge that it is difficult to quantify those who remain hidden or moving in small groups around the city.

Miguel Tellado has used the harshest discourse of the popular leadership. In an interview on 'La Trinchera de Llamas', on 'esRadio', he defined what happened as an "occupation" and an "attack on the territorial integrity of Spain". The general secretary of the PP maintains that Ceuta continues "with fear" and that a new massive entry "can happen again tomorrow" because the city remains unprotected.

Tellado has demanded that the Government use all available means to return to Morocco those who have entered irregularly. "Not one should remain," he claimed. He has also questioned whether autonomous communities should assume the transfer of minors taken in Ceuta and Melilla, considering that the Executive intends to transfer the consequences of its migratory policy to them.

The popular leader has assured that "the Government had the information and did not act," although this Sunday he has not presented the alleged reports that would support the accusation. The Government delegate in Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez, has acknowledged that between Monday and Wednesday an increase in entry attempts was detected, but has denied that the Executive knew the magnitude of the mobilization that occurred between Thursday and Friday.

Tellado has also demanded explanations from Margarita Robles for not ordering the Army to the streets sooner and has attributed the crisis to a simultaneous failure of migratory, foreign, and security policies. Amid his attacks on the Executive, he has accused Sánchez of having recovered normality by returning to La Mareta "with his Spotify playlist," while Ceuta continues to face the consequences of what happened.

From Marbella, Elías Bendodo has maintained that the crisis reflects the "extreme weakness" of an "ineffective, unstable, and weak" Government. The PP vicesecretary has accused Sánchez and Marlaska of lying about the recovery of normality, has assured that there are still "hundreds and hundreds" of migrants on streets and beaches, and has even asked the president to call elections.

Also Isabel Díaz Ayuso has placed Ceuta at the center of her public reappearance after several days marked by the controversy of the Chamberí penthouse acquired by her Government. The Madrid president has said she fears that what happened is "a test from Morocco for the next one" and has warned that Rabat will try to snatch Ceuta and Melilla from Spain. Regarding the property, she has limited herself to pointing out that it is for sale and that the income obtained will be used to rebuild the municipalities affected by the fires.

Feijóo measures the tone while Génova hardens the narrative

Feijóo's intervention maintained a more contained tone than that used by his main leaders. The popular leader has spoken of ending the crisis "for humanity, for coexistence and for security", while Tellado has resorted to terms such as "occupation", "invasion" or "territorial attack". The distribution allows the PP to combine an operational proposal with a much more aggressive political offensive against Sánchez.

Génova has also taken advantage of the European Union's reaction to reinforce its discourse. Bravo and Tellado have highlighted Frontex's offer, the support of Ursula von der Leyen and the declaration of 22 European leaders in defense of Ceuta and Melilla. The popular party considers that Europe has protected the Ceuta border more clearly than the Spanish Government itself, an accusation with which they intend to extend Sánchez's wear and tear beyond the immediate management of the crisis.

Feijóo leaves Ceuta with several commitments for the agents and a concrete proposal for a single command in the face of future border emergencies. Security Forces continued this Sunday patrolling the city, locating small groups and completing returns while the PP kept its offensive against the Government open.