Key facts
- Spain's interior minister is investigating a report that a government agency blamed Moroccan security forces for a mass migrant influx into Ceuta.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez previously denied Moroccan responsibility, citing disinformation from Israel, Russia, and the far-right.
- The report from Spain's National Centre for Immigration and Borders (CENIF) allegedly stated Moroccan security forces guided the migrant entry.
- Over 70,000 migrants entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta from Morocco in late July.
- The migrant influx has caused political tensions within the EU and led to border checks between Spain and Italy.
Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has requested a police investigation into a report that a government agency, the National Centre for Immigration and Borders (CENIF), blamed Moroccan security forces for the mass entry of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. This comes after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Morocco was not responsible for the influx of approximately 70,000 migrants in late July, instead suggesting that Israel, Russia, and the far-right were spreading disinformation.
According to the online newspaper El Español, CENIF reportedly sent information to a judge suggesting the incident was "guided by Moroccan security forces...with an objective other than migration." Grande-Marlaska, in a letter to police chief Francisco Pardo, emphasized that any such information should have been immediately shared with the National Security Council and other relevant bodies.
The unprecedented rush of migrants into Ceuta, a small Spanish territory in North Africa, has heightened tensions within the European Union regarding immigration. Analysts have suggested the crisis might have been a message from Morocco to Spain concerning the disputed Western Sahara, following Sánchez's visit to Algeria, a historic rival of Morocco. The situation has also led to reciprocal border checks between Spain and Italy, with both countries extending these controls.
While most migrants were returned to Morocco within hours, thousands remain in Ceuta, with many living on the streets. The Spanish government plans to make 6,000 reception spaces available and has pledged an additional €168 million in aid for Ceuta. Spain has also sought assistance from Frontex, Europol, and the European Union Agency for Asylum to help process the migrants.