Spain’s King Called in to Help as Ceuta Migration Crisis Worsens

Pedro Sánchez has called on King Felipe VI to visit Ceuta as the Spanish enclave faces escalating tensions involving security forces, local residents, and thousands of migrants.

Sánchez announced the visit on Monday, saying there were sufficient reasons for the king to go and that the decision had been coordinated with Felipe VI. The move comes as the prime minister faces accusations that he mishandled the migration crisis.

The numbers at the center of the dispute vary sharply. Spain’s Interior Ministry says 5,000 of the 72,000 migrants who entered illegally on July 31 remain in Ceuta. Local authorities put the figure at 9,000.

The situation has deteriorated, with episodes of violence between local residents and migrants. The migrants have occupied beaches, public parks, and narrow streets, and the account says most do not want to return to Morocco.

The Spanish government is due to vote Tuesday on an extraordinary €168 million aid package for the enclave. Sánchez has also criticized Israel and Russia while absolving Rabat, the report says.

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There are sufficient arguments for the king to go to Ceuta. This visit will take place.