The PP demands from the Government "the complete truth" about Ceuta and again demands that Sánchez appear

The Popular Party has increased pressure on the Government this Friday ahead of the round of appearances that will bring eight ministers to Congress to explain the management of the migratory crisis in Ceuta. The Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Policy, Carmen Fúnez, has warned that her party will reject any attempt to offer "half-truths", present "excuses" or transfer responsibilities to other administrations. "Next week the hour of truth begins," she warned.

Fúnez has demanded "emphatic and clear" explanations about what happened during the massive entry on July 30 and 31 and about the decisions subsequently adopted by the Executive. The PP wants to know if the National Intelligence Center had warned of the risk of an arrival of these dimensions and, in that case, what information Moncloa received and what measures it implemented to try to prevent it.

The popular leader has again used the term "invasion" and has placed the number of people who crossed the border at more than 80,000. That word is part of the political framework used by the PP and lacks an equivalent legal consideration. Nor is there a definitive shared balance on the volume of entries. The figures released by the Spanish and Moroccan authorities have ranged between some 72,000 and 40,000 people, respectively.

Eight ministers before Congress

The parliamentary round will begin on Tuesday, August 25, with the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles. On Thursday, August 27, the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, and the Minister of Health, Mónica García, will appear. A day later it will be the turn of José Manuel Albares, Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Elma Saiz. Sira Rego and Ana Redondo will close the appearances on Monday, August 31.

The PP will also take its request for Pedro Sánchez to appear before the Plenary to Wednesday's Permanent Deputation. Fúnez has reproached the president for remaining "an hour and a half" in Ceuta, describing what happened as an attack against territorial integrity and then resuming his vacation. "He has an obligation to face up to one of the most serious situations and one of the most critical problems our country has experienced in recent years," he stated.

The popular deputy secretary has contrasted Sánchez's actions with the efforts of police, civil guards, military personnel, judicial officials, and healthcare professionals. She has also accused the Government of having left part of the response on the shoulders of the Autonomous City, presided over by Juan Jesús Vivas, and of acting through a "pattern" based on arriving late and shifting the consequences to other administrations.

The PP's criticism coincides with several measures deployed in recent days. Sánchez has chaired two telematics coordination meetings, seven ministers have traveled to Ceuta, and Elma Saiz has remained in the city since Monday. The Government has enabled four temporary locations with 1,500 initial places, has mobilized 6.5 million euros for the humanitarian response, and has tasked Ángel Víctor Torres with coordinating the work of five ministries.

Bravo calls for accelerating returns

The PP's Deputy Secretary for Finance, Housing, and Infrastructure, Juan Bravo, has placed another focus on returns to Morocco. In an interview on 'Herrera en COPE', he recalled that the European Commission considers the return of those who remain irregularly in Ceuta a priority and that Rabat has shown willingness to collaborate in the identification and repatriation of Moroccan minors.

Bravo has reproached the Government for these returns still progressing slowly. "If the European Union has said it, if Morocco has said it, and if Albares and Marlaska said that all those who had entered would be returned, what is surprising is that it is not happening," he pointed out. He has also questioned the planned transfer of 500 girls to the Peninsula, considering that "the best interest of the minor is to be with their family".

European support for returns requires legal precision. The European Return Directive allows for the return of irregular migrants, but requires an individual assessment of each case and respect for international protection requests. For unaccompanied minors, it requires prior verification that they will be handed over to their family, a guardian, or an adequate reception system. Article 35 of the Immigration Law incorporates similar guarantees. Brussels' statement supports the legal return procedure, but not a collective or immediate expulsion of all minors.

The PP also denounces the lack of an updated count of the people who remain in the city. Bravo estimates that between 10,000 and 12,000 remain, although he has mentioned estimates of up to 20,000. The Government days ago placed that number around 5,000 while identification tasks continued. The discrepancy between the figures reinforces the demand for a single official balance, one of the issues that the popular party will bring up in the appearances.

Along with the criticisms, Bravo has championed the Reactivation Plan for Ceuta and Melilla presented by Alberto Núñez Feijóo and endowed with 650 million euros for six years. The proposal includes improvements at the border, the renovation of the Police Station and the Civil Guard Command, housing measures, and bonuses of up to 75% on contributions for certain sectors. The PP maintains that the Government has not yet contacted Génova to study this economic package.

Margarita Robles will be the first member of the Executive who will have to respond on Tuesday. Afterwards, questions will arise about the CNI warnings, the data of identified persons, the return schedule, the protection of minors, and the measures adopted by each ministry. The PP has announced that it will again demand in all these sessions that Pedro Sánchez appear personally before Congress.