Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has announced that the number of irregular migrants who entered Ceuta from Morocco has reached 72,000, according to the latest official data. He confirmed that approximately 70,000 of these individuals have already returned to Morocco, while Spanish authorities continue to manage the repercussions of the crisis that erupted last week.
Grande-Marlaska's remarks came following his participation in an extraordinary meeting of EU Interior Ministers held via video conference on Tuesday to discuss the evolving situation. During the meeting, participants praised what he described as the 'immediate response' provided by Spanish authorities. He emphasized that the meeting concluded with the consensus that the Schengen area 'has not faced any threats or breaches' due to the events in Ceuta.
The Spanish official stressed that prior to the outbreak of the crisis, security agencies did not possess any intelligence reports or indicators suggesting the possibility of a scenario similar to what occurred in 2021. He noted that the developments were unexpected based on the information available to Spanish authorities at that time.
In a related matter, the Spanish government's delegation in Ceuta reported that the number of bodies recovered since the crisis began has risen to 75. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing, amidst fears that the death toll may increase further.
On another front, Spain's Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz, announced an exceptional financial allocation of 25 million euros to support the care of unaccompanied minors who arrived in Ceuta during the recent wave of migration. However, she did not provide official figures regarding the number of children and minors the city has received so far.
Conversely, Moroccan authorities assert that their management of the situation has been proactive and responsible, highlighting that they had warned Spanish authorities prior to the crisis about the potential repercussions of certain judicial and administrative decisions that could affect bilateral cooperation on migration management. They emphasized that they mobilized various security and military agencies to prevent the situation from escalating and to swiftly regain control of the borders.
As reported by assahifa.com.
