The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, sent a letter yesterday to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urging the Irish presidency, which holds the rotating presidency this semester, to convene an emergency meeting due to the reaction he described as “selfish, polarizing, and illegal” of countries like Italy in response to the crisis triggered this week in Ceuta by the irregular crossing of the border.

The first curve of Martínez Catena Avenue, the road that runs along the southern coastal area of Ceuta, serves to quite accurately predict whether it will be a day of migratory pressure in the autonomous city. From there, in the background, you can glimpse Tarajal beach. Unless the dense fog that often appears during many summer days prevents seeing the border with Morocco. That white curtain, besides announcing stifling heat, helps immigrants who try to swim to the Spanish coast avoid being detected. Foggy night, early morning of irregular arrivals.

The King, who is at Marivent, the official summer residence of the royal family, has conveyed a message in which he expresses his “great concern and indignation over the serious events in Ceuta and, to a lesser extent, also in Melilla.” According to a statement made public this Saturday by the Royal Household, over the past few days Felipe VI has remained in contact with both the presidents of the two Autonomous Cities, Juan Jesús Vivas and Juan José Imbroda, as well as with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the leader of the opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. “To all of them,” the note states, “he has conveyed words of encouragement and firmness.”