The Spanish government states that Morocco “is a reliable partner” on migratory matters

Without Morocco’s cooperation, the situation in Ceuta could not have been resolved, and 90% of the immigrants who entered the city would not have returned to their country, according to Elma Saiz, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration of the Spanish government. “Morocco is a reliable partner in migration matters,” Saiz assured in an interview with RTVE this Monday, where she addressed the speculation surrounding the Moroccan government’s alleged lack of collaboration in containing the wave of people who entered Ceuta on July 30.

Regarding the current reality in the city, Saiz stated that efforts have been redoubled to respond to the people still living on the streets of Ceuta, and that 1,800 people have begun to stay overnight in humanitarian care centers. The exact figures of immigrants still sleeping rough are unclear, but the minister assured that in the El Trampolín beach area, where most of the people who crossed the border are concentrated, daily food assistance is provided to 4,000 people.

On the Spanish government’s management of an unprecedented crisis, the minister defended its actions and lashed out at the Popular Party for its “major irresponsibility”. Regarding Feijóo’s call to confine immigrants for fear of a health epidemic, Saiz reaffirmed that there is no danger and that “we must listen to science”: “The PP must abandon its extreme stance and should stand with the government in this situation,” she said. She also added that more than 5,000 health interventions have been carried out in the city by devices managed by expert entities in the field. Furthermore, this Monday Health has convened the autonomous communities to activate the solidarity mechanism and send vaccines to Ceuta.

This week, up to eight ministers from Pedro Sánchez’s executive will appear in Congress to account for the management of the migration crisis, in what the minister describes as “a commitment to transparency”.

One of the most urgent situations in Ceuta is the management of minors: the Spanish government states that there are at least 2,500 in the city, a figure that is not up-to-date and may be higher: “Efforts are being redoubled to register them,” Saiz assured, who also explained that before considering sending them to the Peninsula, each case must be built case by case. He also assured that there are no girls on El Trampolín beach, and that the minors are in centers set up by the Ceuta administrations themselves.