Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Tuesday once again praised Morocco’s response to the events of July 30 in Ceuta. He also said Spain would ensure that «every single person, down to the last one» who entered the city would be returned to Morocco.
During a visit to Ceuta, where he met with Juan Jesús Vivas, Albares pointed to disinformation circulating on social media as a major factor behind the events, particularly a misleading interpretation of a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling concerning people arriving by sea.
« I want to address all those who believe this false information about the benefits they might obtain by entering Spain illegally. Do not put your life, your money and your future at risk in an endeavor that is bound to fail,» he said.
Albares also said Rabat had expressed its determination to prevent similar incidents from recurring and to work jointly on ways to avert them. The Spanish government is seeking to discourage another potential mass entry reportedly being promoted on social media for Saturday, August 15.
He also condemned the disinformation circulating online and said Madrid and the European Commission were working with digital platforms to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
Spain’s top diplomat also sought to dispel any ambiguity surrounding returns.
«Those who enter Ceuta or Melilla illegally should know that they will be returned. No court ruling, distorted on social media, has changed our position,» he stressed.
Morocco’s decisive assistance
Albares also dismissed any suggestion that Morocco bore responsibility for the arrivals. Instead, he emphasized the Kingdom’s role in managing the situation and facilitating the return of those who had reached Sebta, describing its cooperation as «essential.»
«From the outset, Morocco was in favor of immediate returns. It asked for nothing in exchange,» the minister said.
Albares contrasted Morocco’s approach with the difficulties encountered elsewhere in Europe, where return procedures are often hampered by a lack of cooperation from countries of origin.
«The major difficulty European countries generally face in managing irregular migration is the inability to organize returns when the country of origin refuses to cooperate. Here, it is exactly the opposite,» he said.
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The Spanish minister’s remarks echo the assessment provided by Moroccan authorities, which have attributed the events to a combination of factors, including online disinformation, the activities of human trafficking networks and a misunderstanding of recent rulings by the Spanish courts. Some would-be migrants had mistakenly believed that reaching Ceuta by swimming would shield them from immediate return.
Morocco’s Interior Ministry said nearly 40,000 people were involved in attempted crossings into Ceuta, compared with 1,135 toward Melilla. Rabat also said that everyone who managed to reach Melilla had been immediately returned.
Morocco has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining cooperation with Spain to facilitate the return process.
