PP lawmakers blame government for endangering police during Ceuta migrant transfer
PP representatives accused the government of abandoning police, guardia civil and military personnel during the relocation of migrants to Ceuta's port.
During the early-morning transfer of migrants from Ceuta's beaches to a newly prepared camp at the port, members of the Popular Party denounced the government's handling of the operation. Spokesperson Ester Muñoz claimed that national police, guardia civil and military units were left vulnerable and that Ceuta was effectively abandoned. Fellow party official Cuca Gamarra echoed the criticism on X, describing the episode as absolute chaos caused by governmental negligence and warning that a critical infrastructure was jeopardised.
According to government sources, the operation started around 7:15 a.m. and involved moving migrants via the promenade and service road to the port facilities. Some migrants, many of them minors, broke through the police cordon, creating temporary disruptions before forces regained control. The relocation follows a court decision that rejected a request by the police union to halt the establishment of the port-side camp, which includes tents, medical and social services, and a security post.
Why it matters
The dispute highlights political tension over migration management and the safety of security forces in Ceuta.
How this story developed
- Aug 21 Spanish police detain five suspected migrant smugglers operating from Ceuta
- Sep 8 The Council of Ministers scheduled a vote on declassification Tuesday, with the documents to be released to the public on Wednesday.
- Sep 9 Ceuta mayor‑president Juan Jesús Vivas publicly urged the EU to boost funding and security for the enclave’s border.
- Sep 9 The EU approved a financial package for Ceuta border controls and pledged additional Frontex support.
- Sep 9 The interior ministry publicly acknowledged creating the dossier.
- Sep 10 Government criticized for declassifying security alerts and for claiming the warning was only a low‑level WhatsApp message.
- Sep 10 Judge María Tardón filed a request for copies of the declassified intelligence reports.
- Sep 10 Regional economy minister asserted that the national government possessed advance intelligence on the Ceuta crossing and did not implement preventive measures.
- Sep 11 Czech and Hungarian leaders condemned the EU’s emergency aid for Ceuta.
- Sep 12 A police‑commissioned report described Moroccan border police as unusually sparse and granting migrants “total permission.”
- Sep 13 Minister Sira Rego urged autonomous communities to assume responsibility for Ceuta’s unaccompanied minors.
- Sep 13 The foreign minister announced an urgent trip to Brussels for talks with EU officials.
- Sep 16 After intense negotiations, the European Parliament approved a resolution introduced by the Partido Popular that calls on Morocco, as a key EU partner, to fulfill its border-management and migration-return obligations. The text labels the Ceuta event as an invasion and condemns Morocco's demands over the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla as unacceptable. Conservative groups supported the measure, while the PSOE-led socialist bloc opposed it.
- Sep 17 The European Parliament adopted the revised Ceuta resolution after intense negotiations.
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