The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has repeatedly praised the relationship and cooperation in all areas with the Kingdom of Morocco following the migration crisis unleashed in Ceuta since July 30 and has raised to 1,898 the number of minors who still remain in the autonomous city and have been registered.
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On a visit to Ceuta to meet with the president of the autonomous city, Juan Jesús Vivas, the Interior Minister also tried to dispel any possibility that what happened last week will happen again amid rumors of a new massive assault on the border this weekend, assuring that “no person who intends to enter Ceuta or Melilla irregularly will stay in Ceuta, nor will they go to the Peninsula nor will they be regularized.” “The only thing they do is risk their lives,” he warned.
The minister also warned that of the 5,000 people who, according to his calculations, still remain in Ceuta, the “vast majority” will be returned to Morocco and, in particular, he warned that those who commit a crime “even faster.” In this regard, Marlaska announced that at the request of his ministry, regarding those who commit any crime, “authorization has been requested from the judiciary for the substitution of sentences to proceed immediately with their expulsion.”
On the other hand, the minister tried to downplay the words of the Moroccan Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, who after pointing out that the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla was a pending issue indicated that his department is studying suspending the application of the extradition agreement with Spain citing problems in the delivery of persons requested by Moroccan courts.
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Asked about the same, the minister reiterated that relations between both kingdoms in “all areas” are “absolutely close and based on loyalty.” “I cannot see any relative issue to what they are telling me,” he concluded. In line with this, the Interior Minister also pointed out that there is no terrorism threat linked to the assault of July 30, questioned about this by an Italian journalist.
Likewise, the minister explained the reinforcements that have been made from his department to manage the current crisis and prevent a future one. Thus, he detailed that there are 880 National Police officers in Ceuta, 270 more than on July 30, and 714 Civil Guard officers, which represents an increase of 200 officers. In addition, 50 rapid response officers from the CNP have been incorporated to guarantee citizen security and 20 members of the central Immigration and Borders brigade for the processing of international asylum files.
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