Política

The Alaouite kingdom has demonstrated this Saturday its control over the border that separates Morocco and Spain in Ceuta. After intensifying surveillance near the El Tarajal breakwater, where just over half a month ago at least 141 people drowned or were crushed, according to humanitarian organizations, a strong operation has blocked the passage of hundreds of sub-Saharan Africans who intended to irregularly reach the autonomous city. The thousands of gendarmes, with the help of speedboats, helicopters, drones, and dogs, have charged against the immigrants, even using tear gas. While the people of Ceuta held their breath for fear of a new avalanche, Morocco has reported, by the dozens, the people it was arresting for trying to cross into Spain: 111 migrants at 2:30 p.m.; 148 an hour later; almost 300 past 6:00 p.m…

Morocco has ordered this Saturday, without offering further explanations, the journalists from EFE and TVE sent to Fnideq (the former Castillejos, southwest of Ceuta,) to leave the town, where they are covering the situation in the border area.

Morocco is demonstrating its control at the border with Spain by blocking the passage of hundreds of sub-Saharan Africans trying to approach the El Tarajal breakwater, through which more than 70,000 people entered two weeks ago with the permissiveness, at that time, of Rabat. Police sources tell La Vanguardia that this time the Alaouite kingdom is cooperating to prevent the new attempt at a mass crossing, encouraged in recent days on social networks, from succeeding. Ceuta, which has not yet returned to normal, is holding its breath with the fear that the avalanche will repeat, seeing how the autonomous city woke up this holiday August 15 with an unprecedented police deployment.

To measure the situation that Ceuta is still going through, one can use, as the political authorities insist, the figures of immigrants who remain in the autonomous city. Although they vary: about 5,000 people according to the central Government, which the people of Ceuta raise to 9,000.

Two weeks after the massive entry that overflowed Ceuta, the border faces a new day under surveillance this Saturday. Morocco deployed an extraordinary device yesterday in response to calls on social networks to cross it again from Fnideq (Castillejos). Thousands of agents and military personnel, road controls, patrols in the forests, and new barriers in the sea are part of an operation aimed at preventing the entry of tens of thousands of people recorded last July 30 from happening again today.

The president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, insisted this Friday in his request to the Government of Spain to reject and dismiss asylum applications. Thus, faced with a situation that remains of “maximum risk,” Vivas demands the “immediate” return to Morocco of all the migrants who stormed the border at the end of July and who have since remained in the autonomous city. However, this request clashes with international law, so the Ceutan leader has urged the General Courts to work on a “regulatory body” that provides an “immediate and urgent” response allowing for an “expeditious” action to return migrants when an “invasion or violation of the territorial integrity” of the State occurs.

Most arrived by swimming, although some entered on foot. Between 5,000 and 8,000 immigrants of Moroccan and sub-Saharan origin have been staying for two weeks on the beaches and streets of Ceuta. Many are minors. The Moroccan government demands the return of its children. The Spanish government assures that all will be repatriated. But the days go by and the immigrant settlements are consolidating in the autonomous city. Why is it so difficult to expel from Spanish territory the people who arrived irregularly?

The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has insisted that her country will continue “tightening” surveillance in anticipation of a supposed massive arrival of migrants to the autonomous city of Ceuta this coming Saturday and insisted that the “vast majority” of European countries share the drastic measures adopted by her Government, such as the suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain.

The Moroccan authorities have activated an exceptional security operation in the north of the country to neutralize the calls widely spread on social networks, which incite a new massive entry into the autonomous city of Ceuta tomorrow, August 15, after the one led by more than 70,000 people two weeks ago. “The Ceuta border will be open on the 15th, a holiday in Spain,” some of these messages state.

What remains of the wooden walkway that welcomed bathers on El Trampolín beach seems to divide in two the different futures awaiting the immigrants who refuse to leave Ceuta after crossing the border in a rush two weeks ago.