Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will convene the country’s National Security Council on Tuesday to address the migration crisis in Ceuta, nearly a month after the mass arrivals of July 30 and 31.
The meeting, scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., will be the first gathering of the council since the crisis began, according to Spanish government sources cited by El País.
Its timing is significant. Twenty-six days after the crossings, several thousand migrants remain in Ceuta, while Spanish authorities continue to grapple with accommodation, asylum applications, unaccompanied minors and the question of who can legally be returned to Morocco.
Spanish authorities initially estimated that around 80,000 people crossed from Moroccan territory during the two days of mass arrivals. A large proportion subsequently returned to Morocco, while several thousand remained in Ceuta, including unaccompanied minors and asylum seekers.
Different approaches have emerged within Spain over how to deal with the remaining migrants.
While returns have formed a major part of the response, the Ministry of Youth and Children is working on plans to transfer 500 girls considered particularly vulnerable from Ceuta to mainland Spain.
The opposition People’s Party, meanwhile, has demanded faster repatriations.
PP spokesman Borja Sémper called for Spain to deploy all the immigration officials necessary to Ceuta and have them process cases in three daily shifts.
“Everyone must return, and as soon as possible,” Sémper said.
His proposal did not explain how such an approach would apply to unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers or other migrants whose cases require individual assessment under Spanish and international law.
25,000 vaccine doses being sent to Ceuta
Spain’s Health Ministry and the country’s autonomous communities have agreed to send 25,000 vaccine doses to Ceuta through a territorial solidarity mechanism.
The shipment will include 15,000 doses of the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, as well as another 10,000 doses covering diseases including diphtheria, tetanus, chickenpox and polio.
The vaccination effort is intended for migrants as well as Ceuta residents who are not immunized.
Spanish health authorities have stressed that the situation does not constitute a public health emergency.
Instead, officials and health experts have pointed to overcrowding, inadequate hygiene and difficulties in obtaining prompt medical care as the principal health concerns associated with the current conditions.
