Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in the Spanish territory of Ceuta following the arrival of many times that number of people last week, the north African exclave’s leader has said.
Juan Jesús Vivas told the European Parliament of his “profound sorrow” over the “irreparable tragedy” of 100 deaths that had occurred after roughly 78,000 migrants from neighbouring Morocco arrived by sea in a matter of hours.
His comments come as new calls for mass crossings circulate on social media, according to Moroccan media.
The crisis has created tensions among EU nations who share open borders and has sparked criticism of the Spanish government.
Vivas, a conservative, was critical of the national government’s response while addressing the European Parliament on Thursday, saying that he had personally told Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that it had been late and insufficient.
“The fact that we don’t have numbers on how many are still in Ceuta shows how few resources we have to deal with this situation,” Ceuta’s mayor-president said. Previous warnings by local officials of an increase in migrant crossings by sea had been ignored, he said.
ReutersVivas said that while the return of nearly 75,000 migrants to Morocco had “considerably alleviated” the situation, Ceuta had not yet returned to normal.
There was still a humanitarian emergency and disturbances to public order in the territory, he said, while it was “basically impossible” to return the minors who had crossed because this required their consent.
Spain’s interior minister has said the government had allocated €25m (£21.4m; $28.8m) to assist minors in Ceuta.
However, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reports that 4,860 migrant children have been registered by volunteer groups in Ceuta – double official estimates.
“Neighbours are taking them into their homes, but the situation is unsustainable,” a volunteer told the paper.
So far no migrant children have been moved to mainland Spain, with right-wing local authorities reluctant to take them in, according to El PaÃs.
While some on the right have pointed to an agreement with Morocco stipulating co-operation on returning migrant children to their families, Melilla’s conservative leader has called for a “gesture of solidarity” from his mainland colleagues.
Getty ImagesIt is unclear exactly why tens of thousands of migrants attempted to cross into Ceuta on Thursday and Friday last week.
The EU’s Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner has suggested criminal networks spreading disinformation were to blame – an assertion Sánchez has agreed with.
The crossings came after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.
The two exclaves have long been a bone of diplomatic contention between Spain and Morocco, which does not recognise Spanish sovereignty over them.
The number of people swimming to Ceuta at once has raised questions about why Morocco’s border guards did not attempt to stop them. Vivas characterised the incident as an “unequivocal attack”.
“Our people feel sad, helpless, anxious, fearful and worried – and they have good reason to, because it is inevitable to wonder whether this will happen again,” he commented.
Spain’s interior minister has said he was working “firmly” with Morocco to avoid further “violations”, and that any migrants still in Ceuta would be returned there as soon as possible.
Brunner said the EU should use all the leverage at its disposal, including visa policy and trade, to secure co-operation from Morocco on migration.
Morocco, for its part, has laid blame for the crisis on Spain’s Supreme Court, with an unnamed government source briefing local outlets that “the deterrent element of the system collapsed and the dam gave way, not under the weight of the criminals, but of a judge’s decision”.
Meanwhile, Moroccan media is reporting fresh online calls to co-ordinate another mass border-crossing attempt, similar to what was seen before the influx last week.
News site Hespress reports that posts and messages were circulating on social media to join closed WhatsApp groups, along with hashtags linked to migration to Spain and work opportunities there – despite warnings from Moroccan authorities that people promoting irregular migration could face prosecution.
The Ceuta crossings have also caused a diplomatic rift among EU nations that share open borders as part of the Schengen area.
Italy suspended its Schengen arrangement with Spain, backed by Finland and Denmark, while the Czech Republic called for Spain’s membership to be temporarily suspended – despite Sánchez noting Ceuta was not part of the Schengen area.
Brunner said the EU was “ready to do more” in Ceuta but had not received a further request for EU border guards from the Spanish government.
