Brussels is closely following the migratory crisis in Ceuta and how the Government of Spain is acting. It is estimated that more than 10,000 migrants are still dispersed throughout the autonomous city, in terrible health conditions after 19 days outdoors, and the questions that hover over any political analysis of the situation are what is going to happen to them and when they will be returned to their countries of origin. In this regard, the European Commission has taken very seriously the official statements of the Spanish Executive in which it is assured that none of the thousands of people who still remain in Ceuta are going to be transferred to the Iberian Peninsula and they bind Pedro Sánchez to fulfill that commitment.
This has been made public by the European Commission, which has stated that it is "important" and that it "takes note" of the statements of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and Interior Ministers, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who gave the message that "no one who is illegally in Ceuta will be transferred to mainland Spain."
The person in charge of underlining this phrase was the spokesperson of the European Commission on Home Affairs, Markus Lammert, who stated yesterday at a press conference in Brussels that they now have "the expectation" that "all those people who remain illegally in Ceuta will be returned" to their countries of origin. Including minors.
Brussels therefore takes the statements of Albares and Marlaska as a commitment and "will closely monitor the situation." Not in vain, it is well known that there are many European countries that fear that the migratory and humanitarian crisis in Ceuta will lead to the arrival of a significant number of migrants to the other side of the Strait, and that they may end up entering their countries.
The truth is that the words of Albares, on August 11, and Marlaska, on the 13th, are blunt in this regard. «Let anyone who enters Ceuta and Melilla irregularly know, because Spain and Morocco work together for this, that they will be returned. "They will not be able to reach either the peninsula or the European continent, nor stay indefinitely in Ceuta or Melilla," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
"No person who enters or intends to enter Ceuta and Melilla irregularly [...], of course none of them are going to stay in Ceuta, none of them are going to go to the peninsula," said Marlaska, who also added that "none of them are going to be regularized."
This commitment of the Government faces enormous challenges, such as managing the return of minors, which is not going to be easy due to the guarantees that exist in the Spanish and European system, and which force the authorities to study cases on an individual basis. This will cause even the seemingly simplest files to involve a long bureaucratic process with uncertain execution times due to the overflow that exists. There is evidence that there are 2,168 minors in Ceuta. They are those that the National Police has identified for now from July 30 until yesterday, according to official sources from the Ministry of the Interior. However, it is believed that there are many more in the city, because there are those who hide to avoid being affiliated for fear of being expelled. There are NGOs that raise the figure to 4,000.
Aware of the problem, Brussels is beginning to pressure Spain to ensure that "all" migrants are returned, once Morocco has agreed to collaborate, expressly emphasizing that this "all" includes minors. The Commission spokesperson responded that "this is regulated by EU law" and that the Return Directive approved in June includes provisions for the return of migrants in an irregular situation, "including unaccompanied minors." "So this is also covered by EU law."
This European directive maintains the line that is also expressed in the Spanish Immigration Law on the way to expel minors. There is no automatic or general procedure; On the contrary, there are specific and guaranteeing conditions that oblige the authorities to individualize the cases and ensure that repatriations safeguard their well-being.
"Before transferring an unaccompanied minor outside the territory of a Member State, the authorities of that State must ensure that he or she will be returned to a family member, a designated guardian or to appropriate reception facilities in the country of return," the text says. That is, if Morocco collaborates seriously, it can help locate families or offer places in suitable reception centers. With other countries this will be more difficult and creates a crossroads.
