Spanish Prime Minister Says He Will Not Abandon Pro-Immigration Policies Despite Ceuta Fallout

Pedro Sánchez is facing mounting criticism over the Ceuta border crisis, but Spain’s prime minister says he will not retreat from his pro-immigration position.

Speaking in parliament, Sánchez rejected claims that Morocco planned and directed the mass crossing into Ceuta. He said no police, law-enforcement or international body had presented “clear evidence” that the Moroccan government planned and carried out the incident. If such evidence emerges, he said, his government will act decisively. Sánchez also promised to release a government report on the crossing.

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clear evidence

The controversy intensified after a report from Spain’s National Immigration and Border Centre, or CENIF, was published. It concluded that Moroccan police had, at minimum, completely failed to intervene as more than 70,000 migrants crossed toward Ceuta on July 30 and 31. The report said Moroccan authorities made no serious attempt to reduce, disperse or redirect the crowd.

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If clear evidence exists, we will act decisively.

Satellite images from July 30 showed no Moroccan police or troops on the beach where migrants began moving toward the border, the report said. Officers who later arrived allegedly stood by. One migrant interviewed by CENIF said police not only acted passively but directed people toward the sea. The report also referred to unidentified people in civilian clothes who managed the situation and instructed people to cross.

Spain’s Interior Ministry continued to deny that any police report established Moroccan responsibility. The government has sought better relations with Morocco, which disputes Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused the government of lying, while protests spread across Spain. Government allies also criticized Sánchez’s conciliatory approach.

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It is difficult to imagine that 80,000 people could move toward the border without the Moroccan government knowing.

Sánchez called recent Moroccan ministerial claims over Ceuta and Melilla “unacceptable” and said the territories would remain Spanish forever. At the same time, he argued that Spain must keep working with Morocco to return undocumented migrants and prevent another crisis. He said immigration remains necessary for Spain’s economic future as the birth rate declines, even if that position becomes unpopular in an increasingly far-right Europe.

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Ceuta and Melilla will remain Spanish forever.