The head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, returned from vacation after 23 days of absence amid the migration crisis in Ceuta, which continues to worsen. The crisis erupted in Ceuta three weeks ago after the mass arrival of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco and has only deteriorated with each passing day.
The autonomous city remains overcrowded, with thousands of people on its streets awaiting resolution of their unresolved status. Sanchez concluded his 23-day vacation this Sunday, during which he practically did not appear in public and did not leave his residence La Mareta on Lanzarote.
The situation in Ceuta will be one of the main issues of the new political season this week. Six ministers are to speak in the Congress of Deputies to explain the government’s actions to resolve the migration crisis.
Returning to Moncloa, Sanchez will also chair the first meeting of the Council of Ministers next Tuesday after the summer break. Sanchez faces several issues related to the migration crisis.
Challenges of the migration crisis
Among them are agreeing on the necessary measures to help thousands of migrants still in Ceuta, developing mechanisms to accelerate their return to Morocco, proposing the transfer of 500 girls to the peninsula, and border control at airports for passengers arriving from Italy. These measures were introduced after Italy established similar controls for passengers from Spain.
The autonomous city of Ceuta was the last place Sanchez visited on July 31 before heading to the Canary Islands. Since then, Moncloa has only released two press releases and corresponding photos showing Sanchez chairing two meetings with his ministers via video conference from his Canary residence.
Meanwhile, the ministers most involved in resolving the crisis in Ceuta have visited the city several times in recent weeks. Next to go there will be the Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, who on Monday will assess measures within the plan for economic support of the autonomous city.
Political reaction and criticism
On social networks, particularly on X, there have also been no mentions of the migration crisis since the end of July. Then, Sanchez shared statements he made during his last appearance. “The government guarantees the safety of the residents of Ceuta, strengthening the presence of Security Forces and Corps on the streets of the city,” he assured in his post.
During the 23 days, the situation in Ceuta continued to worsen. The People’s Party (PP) took advantage of this to increase political pressure on the government, and Feijóo visited the autonomous city twice and spoke increasingly harshly about immigration.
PP also tried to bring the issue of the crisis in Ceuta to the Senate, where it has a majority, declaring August a working month and trying to get several ministers to speak in the upper house to provide explanations. Ultimately, these speeches will take place in the Congress of Deputies at the initiative of the ministers themselves.
Six of them will speak during this week: Minister of Defense Margarita Robles; Minister for the Presidency Félix Bolaños; Minister of Health Mónica García; Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska; Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares; and Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz. Next Monday, August 31, speeches by the Minister of Equality Ana Redondo and the Minister for Youth and Children Sira Rego are scheduled.
Source: 20minutos
