The Government seeks to close the Ceuta crisis with more places and European support against Feijóo's hard border plan

The Government of Pedro Sánchez reaches Saturday with a figure that allows it to defend that Ceuta has begun to leave behind the most uncontrolled phase of the migratory crisis. Around 6,000 people are already housed in temporary resources after the opening of the port camp, although between 3,000 and 4,000 continue to sleep in streets, mountains, and other parts of the city.

The transfer of 1,700 migrants from the beaches of Benítez and El Trampolín left during Friday morning races, avalanches, and police charges. The fear of being left out of a resource with limited places overflowed the first movements of a device in which about 240 agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard participated. The situation was contained and the camp completed its capacity around 1:00 p.m.

The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, in charge of coordinating the state response, defended that the operation had concluded without "relevant altercations". Sumar asked for explanations for the images of the charges, while the Popular Party presented the day as new proof of "chaos". The result left a more nuanced reality. The operation allowed 1,700 people to be removed from the beaches, but another 3,400 remained pending accommodation.

The importance of the camp goes beyond providing a bed. Within the resources, health controls, affiliations, and the opening of files are carried out that will determine whether each person has the right to request international protection or must return to Morocco. Interior maintains that more than 90% of those who entered Ceuta at the end of July have already returned, a figure difficult to find in other migratory crises of this magnitude.

The dance of calculations continues to complicate management. The Executive estimates that about 10,000 people remain in the city, compared to the approximately 13,000 handled by the Ceuta Government of Juan Jesús Vivas. The differences are partly due to constant movements between beaches, homes, mountains, and settlements, but they also highlight the need for a more precise registry to plan future resources.

More places and more Europe

The action in the port is part of a broader response that the Government now wants to transfer to the European level. The Commission has granted Spain 114.7 million euros in emergency aid to increase reception capacity, improve border controls, and strengthen identification processes. The package includes new Temporary Foreigner Care Centers in Ceuta and Melilla, with 1,600 places between both cities, and works on the breakwaters of El Tarajal and Benzú.

Frontex's operation in the area will continue until the end of December, and Europol has deployed a specialist in illicit migrant trafficking in Ceuta. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has also initiated procedures for Ceuta and Melilla to have a permanent seat on the Committee of the Regions, have a reinforced European presence, and be able to advance towards their integration into the customs union.

The Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has also demanded changes from Brussels to streamline return and international protection procedures when extraordinary arrivals occur. The Government is simultaneously studying a reform of the Immigration Law after the Supreme Court limited immediate rejections at sea crossings. The PP has proposed a similar modification, which opens one of the few areas of possible agreement between the two major parties.

The main bottleneck continues to be minors. The Ministry of Youth and Childhood offered on August 28 500 state-funded places to temporarily transfer vulnerable minors to the Peninsula, but the Government of Ceuta has not yet activated the plan. The Prosecutor's Office has reminded that guardianship corresponds to the autonomous city, although it has also demanded state support and coordination in a situation it considers extraordinary. About 300 minors are being cared for in facilities initially designed for adults.

The diplomatic channel with Morocco will remain open despite the hardening of the political debate. The European Parliament has asked Rabat to fulfill its commitments on border control and returns, in addition to demanding respect for Spanish territorial integrity. The resolution lacks binding effects and avoids directly blaming the Alawite kingdom for the entries. Morocco has responded that the text does not contain "any incrimination" against its authorities while reinforcing surveillance and testing devices along the border.

Feijóo escalates his offensive

The president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has taken advantage of his visit to Melilla to present an alternative focused on expulsions, police reinforcement, and a greater military presence. The opposition leader demands the return of all people who entered irregularly, promises new "physical borders," and assures that he will respond to any attempt to cross the perimeter.

Feijóo has gone further by stating that those who remain in Ceuta "do not come to look for a job," but to confront the constitutional order and the State Security Forces and Corps. His statement attributes the same intention to thousands of people with different situations, despite the fact that the incidents recorded during the transfer were carried out by a part of those who participated in the displacement.

The popular proposal includes a plan of at least 650 million euros between 2027 and 2032 for Ceuta and Melilla, a special regime law, tax incentives, improvements in health and education, and new state investments. It also includes the extension of the breakwaters, more Frontex presence, and the reinforcement of police staff, measures that in several cases coincide with actions that the Government already has underway. The Executive raised social security bonuses in the two cities to 75% this month.

The point of greatest distance appears in returns. Collective returns are outside Spanish and European legislation, so each file must be resolved individually. Asylum applications and circumstances that may prevent return must also be studied. For minors, it is required to verify that they will be received by a family, a guardian, or an adequate center.

The port camp will wake up this Saturday with its 1,700 places occupied and with the first files underway. Outside its facilities, thousands of people are still waiting for a resource, while Torres keeps the preparation of new locations open and security forces ensure that the evacuated beaches do not fill up again.