Spain’s Defence Minister Margarita Robles apologised to residents of Ceuta on Tuesday over the government’s handling of a mass migrant crossing from Morocco into the Spanish exclave in late July.
Speaking before a parliamentary committee, Robles said she wanted to apologise to those who had felt “abandoned or not sufficiently cared for.”
“I have witnessed first-hand your feelings of anxiety, of abandonment, of lack of safety,” she said.
Around 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July. More than 100 people died during the crossing, according to Ceuta’s Mayor, Juan Jesús Vivas. Most of the migrants have since returned to Morocco, but several thousand remain in the city, which has a population of around 84,000.
Most of them were young men, and many have returned to Morocco, but a significant number of women and children also made the crossing.
Authorities say between 5,000 and 8,000 people remain in Ceuta.
Local residents and authorities have described the situation as unsustainable and urged Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government to take action.
Following the crisis, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said Spain would ensure its immigration procedures comply with new European Union regulations. He said the process would be “orderly, efficient” and provide “all possible guarantees.”
Under the changes, undocumented migrants arriving in Spain would undergo medical, biometric and legal assessments within three days, compared with the EU-wide period of seven days.
The reforms would also introduce a two-track system for processing asylum applications, with cases considered urgent expected to be handled more quickly.
The migrant crisis comes amid renewed discussion over Morocco’s claims to Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish enclaves in North Africa.
Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said last week that Morocco has a “historical and geographical right” to the cities and proposed talks with Spain over their status.
Esther Muñoz of Spain’s conservative People’s Party (PP) said in parliament that the crisis had been “brewing for years,” accusing Moroccan authorities of testing Spain’s ability and willingness to respond.
“The crisis in Ceuta didn't begin on 30 July. It's been brewing for years and you know it, because you know that [the Moroccan authorities] have spent years sizing us up, sizing up our ability to respond and our willingness to do so.”
Robles responded, saying she would not allow “any minister from any government, in this case Morocco, to question the Spanish status of Ceuta and Melilla.”
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