The president of Ceuta, Juan Vivas, estimated this Saturday that between 8,000 and 11,000 people currently remain in the city due to the massive entry on July 30 and demanded that the central government expedite their return to Morocco, considering it the “only way out” to resolve an “absolutely unsustainable” situation.
Vivas made these statements after the extraordinary meeting of the City Government Council, convened to analyze the situation eight days after the massive entry of people from Morocco.
The president of Ceuta has rejected that normality can be spoken of in the city and has questioned the figures provided by the central government, which, according to him, place the number of people still in Ceuta at around 2,500.
“Estimates speak of between 8,000 and 11,000,” Vivas said, who demanded “transparency in communication” and an assessment of the situation that allows adopting a “proportional” response.
The president described the current scenario as “absolutely unsustainable,” with thousands of people “wandering through our streets, our neighborhoods, in the hills, on the beaches, without shelter, without having their basic needs covered.”
In his opinion, this situation is generating insecurity, disturbing daily life, and putting coexistence at risk, so he demanded immediate action from the national government.
Vivas defended that the solution lies in the return to Morocco of all the people who arrived in Ceuta during the influx and who remain in the city.
“The only way out is Morocco, through the Tarajal border,” he stated, before warning that those who remain in Ceuta must know that “there will be no papers here” nor “exits to the peninsula.”
The president considered that the return constitutes a “lifeline” for the city because it would prevent an expectation from being opened that could favor the repetition of similar situations in the future.
“If this is not done, the expectation will remain open and an unbearable uncertainty for the future, for the stability, and for the development of our city will remain,” he warned.
To make this solution possible, Vivas demanded from the central government a reinforcement of the material and human resources allocated to the immigration area, with the aim that returns can occur “as quickly as possible.”
He also demanded the deployment of at least a thousand agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard in the city and demanded to “shield” the border with Morocco to prevent a massive entry like the one registered on July 30 from happening again.
The president considered the current number of forces assigned to the city insufficient and defended that, given the scale of the crisis, an extraordinary reinforcement would be reasonable.
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“Don’t you think that the moment of Ceuta, the moment of Spain, was difficult and delicate enough for there to have been a deployment of at least a thousand police officers between the Civil Guard and the National Police here who were transmitting calm to the citizens?” he asked.
Vivas acknowledged the work being carried out by both the state security forces and bodies as well as the Local Police and the Army, although he warned that the police recognize that there is “precariousness in terms of the number of forces.”
Therefore, he demanded that the government “significantly” increase the police presence on the streets while the current situation persists.
He also defended that the Army continue deployed in Ceuta as an element of security and calm for the population.
The second major demand raised by Vivas refers to the border with Morocco, whose control he considers must be fully guaranteed by Spain.
He emphasized that what cannot happen is that the border of Europe, Spain, and Ceuta “is in the hands of a third country.”
In his opinion, Spain must have the necessary means to exercise effective control of the border and prevent a situation like that of July 30 from happening again.
Vivas demanded for this the application of measures “of a preventive, deterrent, and reactive nature” that allow responding to any attempt of massive entry.
“It cannot be that situations like the one experienced on July 30 happen again. Neither in a few days nor ever,” emphasized the president of Ceuta.
He referred to the concern about a possible repetition of the events especially given the proximity of August 15 and admitted that he understands the existing fear among citizens because the crisis of July 30 “has exposed the vulnerability of the border.”
The president pointed out that the City alone does not have the capacity to guarantee that a similar situation will not happen again and trusted that the central government will take the necessary measures.
“I hope the government fulfills its obligation,” said Vivas, who insisted that preventive, deterrent, and reactive measures must be adopted to avoid another episode of these characteristics.
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