Spain says no evidence Morocco linked to mass Ceuta migrant influx

Spain’s government said Thursday there is no evidence linking Morocco to the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta on July 30 and 31, while defending Rabat’s cooperation in managing the crisis.

Justice Minister Félix Bolaños said Spain had no prior or precise information about the scale of the influx, which saw about 70,000 people enter the Spanish enclave, according to local newspaper El Pueblo de Ceuta.

“There is no evidence that Morocco led or encouraged the mass entry across the border,” Bolaños told the Spanish parliament’s Joint National Security Committee, rejecting opposition claims that Rabat may have been involved.

The minister accused some opposition politicians of spreading “lies” and “doubts” without evidence and urged them to respect Morocco, which he described as a country with which Spain maintains relations based on cooperation and good neighborliness.

“You need an intensive course in the basics of diplomacy,” Bolaños told opposition lawmakers.

He also said neither the Spanish nor Moroccan governments had raised the issue of sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla during their bilateral contacts.

Spain had no warning of scale

Bolaños said Spain’s government had not received intelligence that would have allowed it to anticipate an influx of such magnitude.

“The Spanish government did not have prior or precise information about the arrival of 70,000 people. That is the truth,” he said.

He acknowledged that Spain’s national security reports have for years identified the possibility of major migration movements affecting Ceuta and Melilla, but said no previous episode had reached a comparable scale.

The minister also defended the central government’s response, saying the presence of Spain’s central administration in Ceuta is currently stronger than at any point in recent decades.

He highlighted investments made by the central government in the city and said the authorities had addressed longstanding demands.

Cooperation on migrant minors

On the situation of migrant minors, Bolaños said Morocco had expressed its willingness, both publicly and through diplomatic channels, to cooperate on returns and family reunification.

He cautioned, however, that such procedures are complex and must comply with Spanish legal safeguards protecting minors.

The government’s priority, he said, is to advance returns and family reunification while processing asylum applications and respecting the rights of those concerned at every stage.

Bolaños also criticized rhetoric linking the migration crisis to racism and xenophobia, describing the situation in Ceuta as a “laboratory” for hate speech that does not contribute to resolving the crisis.

He defended Spain’s migration policy, arguing that the country is achieving better results in controlling irregular migration than other European countries with external borders, including Italy and Greece.

He attributed this in part to cooperation with countries of origin and transit, including Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali and Algeria.

Bolaños appeared before parliament alongside Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres, who is responsible for coordinating the government’s response, and Health Minister Mónica García.