Spanish PM Calls Migrant Influx 'Attack on Territory,' Vows Swift Deportations

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has criticized the mass influx of tens of thousands of people into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta from neighboring Morocco, calling it "an attack and an infringement on Spain's territorial integrity."

Visiting Ceuta on the 31st of last month, local time, Sánchez told reporters that "the Spanish government stands with the city of Ceuta" and that "we understand the anxiety they have experienced over the past few hours," as reported by AFP, Reuters, and the British daily The Guardian.

Sánchez explained that a temporary reception center will be set up in Ceuta to process paperwork for the migrants and swiftly deport those without legal status, and that maritime boundary buoys will be installed along the coast to clearly mark the border and prevent unauthorized crossings.

He emphasized that local police and border guards have been instructed to guide the eviction and repatriation of migrants to Morocco while rapidly executing the necessary official deportation procedures.

Sánchez added that "many migrants are already leaving" and that Moroccan authorities are cooperating with the repatriation plan.

The Sánchez administration has maintained a more lenient immigration policy than other European Union nations, but it is scrambling to respond as domestic and international criticism mounts over the crisis, which saw tens of thousands enter without authorization all at once.

Previously, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior stated that an estimated 49,000 migrants had crossed the border into Ceuta over a 24-hour period the day before, with 19 people dying in the process.

Earlier that morning, Juan Jesús Vivas, the head of the autonomous city of Ceuta, estimated the number of migrants at 60,000 and the death toll at 34.

The city's estimate of the migrant population exceeds 70 percent of the city's 85,000 residents.

Vivas appealed that the situation, saying "the situation in Ceuta is absolutely unsustainable."

Later, the Spanish Interior Ministry stated that an estimated 25,000 unauthorized entrants had returned from Ceuta to Morocco that day.

A Spanish court ruling has been pointed to as one of the causes of this crisis.

The Spanish Supreme Court recently ruled that migrants arriving by sea must not be immediately expelled.

Sánchez said that human traffickers and migrant smuggling brokers misinterpreted the court's decision, adding, "It appears this spread rapidly through human trafficking networks over the course of a few hours, triggering a massive influx."

Not only within Spain, but also in the European Union, which is bound by the Schengen Agreement guaranteeing free movement within the region, the Sánchez government is being urged to regain control of the situation immediately.

European Commission President Ursula vonder Leyen emphasized on X that "the images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable" and "we cannot allow anyone to enter our Union without respecting our rules."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated, "Protecting the EU's external borders is crucial to eradicating illegal immigration," adding, "Spain wants and must regain control over the situation in Ceuta as soon as possible."

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also urged the Spanish government to "restore control of the situation."

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose country has left the EU, called it "a worrying situation" and said, "We are in contact with the Spanish government to offer support."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.