Ceuta government representative Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano resigns

Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, the Spanish government's top representative in Ceuta, resigned from his post on Monday.

While Pérez Triano stated that his decision was based on personal reasons, he said that he and his family were under intense pressure after the large immigrant influx at the end of July.

The crisis began when more than 72 thousand migrants arrived in Ceuta from Morocco at the end of July.

As thousands of people crossed the border in a short time, exceeding the capacity of the reception centers in the city, Spain's immigration policy and border security were brought up for discussion again. Ceuta is one of the two land borders of the European Union on the African continent.

While a significant portion of the immigrants later left the region, thousands of people continued to stay in Ceuta.

Pérez Triano stated that criticism, insults and threats against him increased after the crisis.

Explaining that a funeral wreath was left in front of the building where he worked, the Spanish official said, "My family does not deserve me to stay on duty any longer."

Pérez Triano defended the decisions taken during the crisis, saying that the government representation in Ceuta did not have direct operational authority over the border and security forces.

INTELLIGENCE WARNINGS CREATED DEBATE

The Spanish government acknowledged that it had received some warnings that immigrants were preparing to cross the border, but argued that these warnings did not indicate such a large-scale movement.

The discussions were magnified when it was revealed that before the crisis, the Spanish National Intelligence Center (CNI) had warned about possible crossings organized on social media. Pérez Triano's former chief of staff, Gonzalo Sanz, also resigned earlier, arguing that he had passed on the intelligence information he received to his superiors.

The Supreme Court of Spain is conducting an investigation into the developments in Ceuta.

As part of the investigation, Pérez Triano's former chief of staff is also expected to testify this week.

Spanish Regional Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said on Monday that they estimate that there are still approximately 3,500 migrants outside the reception centers in Ceuta.