“Do not risk your lives, your money, your future in an adventure doomed to failure.” On his first official visit to the autonomous city of Ceuta – the first by a Foreign Minister in the history of Spain – José Manuel Albares delivered a strong message this Tuesday to those planning to cross illegally into Ceuta, Melilla, or the Peninsula, guaranteeing that “even the last person who entered irregularly will be returned to Morocco.”
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The minister’s appearance came after a working meeting with the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas (PP), who expressly requested the expulsion of those who entered during the days of July 30 and 31 and still remain in the city. Alongside these returns, authorities continue efforts to register minors with the priority of returning them to their families.
During his remarks to the media, Albares spoke directly to those who, from Morocco or any other part of Africa, are being misled by deceptive information on the internet. “Anyone who enters Ceuta or Melilla irregularly should know, because Spain and Morocco work together on this, that they will be returned, that they will not be able to reach the Peninsula or the European continent, nor stay indefinitely in Ceuta or Melilla,” he stated firmly.
The minister detailed that his department is working on three priority fronts. Accelerating returns “in record time,” combating misinformation, and strengthening the diplomatic channel. Albares directly linked the recent influx to deliberate social media campaigns that distorted the meaning of the Supreme Court ruling of July 8 – which prohibits automatic returns considering there is no continuous physical border at the swimming entries. “Misinformation on social media was the trigger by distorting a Supreme Court ruling and the vehicle that led thousands of people to enter with false news,” he denounced, emphasizing that “no ruling from any court distorted on social media has changed that intention.” To tackle fake news, the Foreign Ministry has activated the digital space ‘Exteriores Explica’.
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Likewise, the Foreign Minister highlighted that the fluid and daily communication with his Moroccan counterpart has been decisive to “overcome the acute phase of this crisis” and achieve the return of thousands of people “in record time.” “All Moroccan authorities have conveyed to me their full willingness to immediately return all these people,” he added.
The firmness shown by Albares from the autonomous city confirms the Government’s determination to preserve the understanding with Rabat despite the seriousness of the crisis. After the massive entry on July 30, Moncloa ignored the positions of parties like Vox – whose leader, Santiago Abascal, has even called the episode “an act of war promoted by Morocco” – and preferred to deploy much of the Cabinet on the ground to focus on assistance containment and returns. A strategy that confirms that diplomatic channels with the Alaouite kingdom remain well-oiled, prioritizing bilateral cooperation over internal political pressure and the hardening demanded by European partners such as Italy or Denmark.
Albares also responded to the Italian Government’s decision to establish controls on travelers coming from Spain due to this crisis. The minister demanded that Ceuta deserves “support and solidarity” from Europe and harshly criticized the instrumentalization of the episode: “This is what we mostly receive in the face of confrontation and misinformation from some, especially the reactionary international, including its branches in Europe and Spain, which have coordinated to exploit the situation for their own partisan and ideological benefit.”
In this regard, the Government reiterated that Ceuta and Melilla fully guarantee the integrity of the Schengen area through a unique control regime that requires passing a strict police filter to travel to the Peninsula. “Everything else is false news and interested hoaxes,” Albares concluded on a day when he called for political unity in the face of “this enormous humanitarian tragedy” that has caused pain, suffering, and “unfortunately, loss of human lives.”
Bolaños warns that Vox’s proclamations inciting to “hunt immigrants” constitute a hate crime and censures the Popular Party’s complicity
Alongside Albares’s visit, the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, spoke about the migration crisis from Almería, where he focused on managing the 1,527 unaccompanied minors already identified. Bolaños recalled that, although the direct responsibility for reception lies with the autonomous city of Ceuta, the central Government is cooperating “with all means” to guarantee “the best interests of the child” and act “with humanity” while respecting human rights at all times. He also emphasized that the “absolute priority,” closely coordinated with the Government of Morocco, is that all these minors can be reunited with their families in their country of origin.
The Minister of the Presidency also used his speech to harshly criticize the opposition and the far-right discourse. Bolaños warned that proclamations inciting to “hunt immigrants” constitute a hate crime, while censuring the Popular Party’s complicity: “The PP does not comply and Vox imposes its agenda with absolutely unacceptable violent language.” In this vein, the minister defended the need to stop the advance of reactionary forces and prevent the far-right, which uses “such ugly language,” from accessing government institutions.
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