For more than two weeks the Government showed its inflexible face in the face of the flood of migrants arriving in Ceuta. It was assumed that the priority was to plug the border and that required ensuring the collaboration of Morocco and warning those who intended to enter illegally that they would be immediately returned. In that scheme, humanitarian attention did not appear anywhere. Three weeks after the assault on the border, it is evident that thousands of migrants remain in the city, so it is imperative to assist them with their basic needs. Meanwhile, political falsehoods are being spread while many questions remain.
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We do not know, nor will we probably find out, to what extent Morocco let more than 70,000 people cross the border nor in exchange for what it later decided to prevent another assault and cooperate in the readmission of the majority. We also do not know, and the Government must clarify, if signs were detected beforehand and what failed in prevention.
To what is unknown must be added what is said for political convenience. Just as it was impossible to guarantee the return of all migrants, it is also impossible to manage in a few weeks the situations of the thousands who have stayed in Ceuta. It is suspected that the number of minors in the city could approach 4,000 and it is almost impossible to return them to those who often do not want to receive them. Territorial solidarity will be essential. To this must be added the thousands of asylum seekers, whose procedures will not be resolved immediately. None of this will be solved by setting up extremely provisional tents and the better the conditions in which these people are, the fewer the inconveniences for the neighbors of Ceuta. It will also be inevitable that many of the adults who risked their lives to reach Ceuta manage to jump to the Peninsula, no matter how much the Government assures its European partners that this will not happen.
La Moncloa intends impossible balances so as not to cloud relations with Morocco, with Ceuta, the EU and public opinion. Promising total return, encapsulating the crisis in the city or proposing temporary solutions based on a quick return to normality is, unfortunately, denying the evidence.
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