Spanish government says sorry to people of Ceuta for migrant crisis
Several thousand migrants remain in the enclave after a mass crossing from Morocco in late July.
The Spanish government has expressed regret over the migrant crisis that has impacted Ceuta for weeks, unveiling plans to reform the country's immigration laws. Defence Minister Margarita Robles apologized to the residents for any feelings of abandonment or insecurity they may have experienced. At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta between July 30 and 31, with over 100 people losing their lives during the mass crossing, according to local mayor Juan Jesús Vivas.
Most of the migrants returned to Morocco shortly after, but several thousand remain in Ceuta, including numerous children. The Socialist government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has faced mounting pressure to resolve the situation, with residents and local authorities expressing concerns about the sustainability of the crisis.
The government has declared a situation of national security interest in Ceuta, centralizing the management of the crisis. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska revealed reforms to immigration and asylum legislation, aiming to align Spain with new EU regulations and speeding up the processing of urgent asylum cases. However, some questions remain unanswered, as Robles and Grande-Marlaska provided conflicting statements about intelligence services' involvement in predicting the migrant crossing.
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