Minister for the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes Félix Bolaños stated that “there is no evidence” that Morocco “facilitated or led” the mass crossing of 80,000 illegal migrants into Ceuta on July 30. He described the incident as a “migration crisis.”
Bolaños supported Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, stating that “the government had neither prior nor precise information about the scale of the crossing” into the autonomous city. According to Bolaños, one of the reasons for the mass crossing was the “distortion” of a Supreme Court ruling, although he did not specify other circumstances.
During his speech in Congress, Bolaños criticized representatives of PP and Vox for spreading “insinuations and suspicions about the neighboring country, with which it is necessary to cooperate and maintain good relations.” He stated that the opposition “needs an accelerated course in basic diplomacy,” and accused them of disrespecting Morocco without evidence of its involvement.
Government priorities and conflicting versions
Bolaños noted that the distortion of the Supreme Court ruling “caused two fakes”: the claim that the border was open and that migrants who crossed it by swimming could not be returned. He assured that “the state is making every effort to ensure that Ceuta returns to normal life as soon as possible,” and will continue to provide the necessary human and material resources.
According to the minister, the “priority” of the newly created unified command, coordinated by his government colleague Ángel Víctor Torres, is “identification, assistance, and the initiation of processes for repatriation, family reunification, or granting asylum” to migrants remaining in Ceuta. According to the Ceuta government, there are about 8,000 of them. Bolaños named the second priority as ensuring the full functioning of the city and its economic and social recovery.
Opposition criticism and government defense
Bolaños also indirectly criticized PP and Vox for refusing to accept unaccompanied minors in the autonomous communities they govern. He stated that Spain needs solidarity from other autonomous communities, which are also part of the state and could expect the same support in the event of a migration crisis. According to him, “it is not very patriotic to wrap oneself in the flag in Ceuta and not cooperate in the normalization of the city.”
He also responded to accusations from PP and Vox regarding the government’s lack of reaction to statements by the Moroccan Minister of Justice, who repeatedly called Ceuta and Melilla “occupied” cities over the past month. Bolaños stated that during his meetings with the Moroccan Minister of Justice, “never” were Ceuta and Melilla discussed. He emphasized that foreign relations fall under the competence of the prime minister and the foreign minister, and stated that neither of them made statements about the status of these cities, which, according to him, are as Spanish as Barcelona, Madrid, or Malaga.
“Deficient” role of President Sánchez
Some government partners, including ERC, harshly criticized the authorities’ actions. Republican spokesman Francesc-Marc Álvaro stated that the government “was late” and slow to respond to the crisis, and called the role of President Pedro Sánchez “deficient” due to his “absence” during the events. The same assessment was expressed by representatives of PP and Vox.
In response, Bolaños stated that the president, who spent almost the entire month of August in La Mareta on Lanzarote, “was on the phone every day, working, giving instructions.” He also sharply responded to PP representatives, stating that one working day of the president in August was allegedly more productive than many of their working days.
Álvaro also criticized the discrepancies in the assessments of Margarita Robles and Fernando Grande-Marlaska regarding CNI warnings about the possibility of a mass border storming on July 30. He also called misinformation a post by Transport Minister Óscar Puente on August 1, in which he stated that the crisis in Ceuta had been resolved by Pedro Sánchez.
Question about cooperation with Morocco
Junts spokesman Josep Pujol accused the government of “incompetence,” stating that it is unable to properly manage European borders and anticipate risks. Pujol also questioned Bolaños’ position, who avoided directly accusing Morocco while positively assessing the country’s cooperation with Spain in returning “90%” of the migrants who stormed the fence.
EH Bildu spokesman Jon Iñarritu also questioned the minister’s words regarding Morocco’s possible role in the crisis. He called on the government “not to be naive” and stated that it is not worth convincing the public of the lack of evidence of Morocco’s cooperation.
