Ceuta, el sueño frustrado

In the early hours of 17 May, thousands of Moroccans began to cross the Spanish border irregularly to reach Ceuta, without encountering any resistance from Moroccan security forces. As the hours passed, waves of migrants followed one after the other until a total of 8,000 people reportedly managed to cross the border, an unprecedented number.

Most of them were young men, but there were also large numbers of teenagers and children, including entire families who could be seen swimming in with floats. The image of a Spanish Guardia Civil rescuing a two-month-old baby from the sea has already remained in the memory of society as a reflection of an unprecedented social crisis. In statements made to COPE, the officer, Juan Francisco Valle, declared that "there were fathers and mothers with children tied up as best they could, with cloth, clothes, they threw themselves into the water however they could, and every time we saw them, we went into the water".

Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced that the government was already putting "all the necessary means to protect the borders and proceed to the immediate return of the people who are entering our country illegally", Marlaska continued to defend that "we are going to be forceful in the defence of our borders". 

Along these lines, the defence minister, Margarita Robles, has issued a forceful warning to the Alawite country in the last few hours: "Spain is not to be trifled with. We will not accept the slightest blackmail". Robles also accused Rabat of deliberately violating the rules of international law by "sending" minors to cross the border, putting their health and integrity at risk.

Throughout the early hours of this morning, a hundred Moroccans attempted to enter Melilla, but unlike what happened last Monday, the Moroccan police prevented them from entering.

In this way, 5,600 people have already been returned in "hot returns", widely criticised by specialised ONGs. However, these refoulements have not only occurred during this crisis, as they have been practised for years. Some associations criticise these methods as they do not have sufficient guarantees and "are not allowed by law". 

Spanish borders are European borders", after calling on Morocco to respect its commitments to Spain and to combat irregular immigration.  Last Tuesday, Ursula Von der Leyen tweeted the need for a "European migration policy pact with agreements with third countries, robust protection of our borders, solidarity between member states and a legal migration policy".

The massive influx of migrants has come amid a diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco over the hosting of Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali. The leader, considered a terrorist by Morocco and accused of alleged crimes of genocide, torture and human rights violations, is reportedly hospitalised in Logroño for coronavirus. The government has reiterated that his reception is due to "humanitarian issues".

However, these responses from Morocco were not sufficient, and statements issued by the current Moroccan ambassador to Spain saying that "there are acts with consequences and they have to be assumed" already foreshadowed a response from the Alawite country that would directly affect Spain.

More than half of the immigrants have been returned, but minors, as on countless occasions, have been the most affected. Now that the Tarajal beach has calmed down with the closure of the borders by Morocco, the autonomous communities have already taken a stand on the reception of unaccompanied minors. In this regard, Castilla y León will take in a total of 18 minors, Castilla la Mancha 14, Cataluña 15, Valencia 11, Galicia 20, together with Madrid and Murcia 7.

These figures are followed by Andalusia with 13 minors, Asturias 11 and La Rioja, with a total of 17. Along these lines, the Government and the autonomous communities have agreed to distribute 200 places for unaccompanied minors who were already in protection centres in Ceuta in order to free up space and "take in those who have arrived in the last few days". In this sense, 200 children have already been transferred by the Spanish Army to a new enclosure for quarantine. 

Meanwhile, in some old warehouses near Tarajal, some 700 young people are still wandering around, who have not yet been classified into two groups that would differentiate between those over and under 14 years of age. It is hoped that some of the minors who have already been registered will be reunited with their families, but Spain is still waiting with Morocco, which is still completely silent, to ensure that these minors return to their families with all the guarantees.

However, other children are reluctant to register under the control of the Spanish administration for fear of being returned to Morocco. The Ministry of the Interior has also failed to comment on the hot returns of minors who have just left the sea.