‘Not made of plastic’ - Spain's opposition leader demands ‘real’ Ceuta border
Key Takeaways
- Feijoo demanded a “real” border following Ceuta’s migrant crisis. He criticised plans to accommodate more than 1,000 migrants at Ceuta’s port.
- Spain has reinforced the Tarajal maritime frontier following the mass crossing.
Spain’s opposition leader accused Pedro Sanchez’s government of leaving Ceuta on the front line of its migration policy failures after the mass crossing.
Spain’s opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has called for a “real” border in Ceuta, accusing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government of failing the Spanish enclave following July’s mass migrant crossing.
Speaking in Madrid on Monday, the People’s Party leader said Ceuta needed greater security and criticised the current border arrangements.
"It needs physical certainty with a border that is not made of plastic, but is real," Feijoo said.
"It needs a migration policy that does not turn the city into the front line of the current government's mistakes. It needs economic certainty, it needs infrastructure and opportunities," he added.
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Feijoo made the remarks as he introduced Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas at the New Economy Forum.
Spanish authorities initially estimated that around 72,000 people entered Ceuta during the July crossing. Most have since returned to Morocco, but thousands remain in the city.
The influx has triggered protests and increased political pressure on Sanchez’s government. Tensions have also spilled into violence involving migrants and local residents.
Feijoo criticised the government’s plan to accommodate more than 1,000 migrants at part of Ceuta’s port.
"Placing more than a thousand immigrants in a port just a few metres from the ships that carry passengers to the mainland is grossly irresponsible and also hinders the work of the state security forces and bodies," Feijoo said.
He also claimed residents were increasingly concerned about security in the city.
"We know you are living in fear in a Spanish city, because we know that many women return home at nightfall. I myself have witnessed that testimony. And because we know that there are those wondering what will become of the city," he added.
Spain reinforced Ceuta’s maritime frontier at the Tarajal breakwater following the crisis, installing a 500-metre pneumatic barrier supported by naval buoys and Guardia Civil patrols.
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On Monday, Sanchez authorised the use of Ceuta’s port as an accommodation site for more than 1,000 migrants.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
