The Spanish government is trying to contain the migration crisis in Ceuta, announcing the expulsion of 1,500 Moroccans. An operation carried out with the «effective coordination» of the Moroccan authorities, indicated the Spanish Minister of Interior. The exodus of thousands of Moroccans to Ceuta has turned the agenda of the head of the Spanish government upside down. Pedro Sanchez had to postpone his trip, scheduled for Tuesday in Paris, to devote himself entirely to examining this crisis in a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Under pressure and after hours of silence, Sanchez finally addressed the situation. «My priority at the moment is to restore normalcy in Ceuta. Its citizens should know that they have the absolute support of the Spanish government and the utmost firmness to ensure their security and defend their integrity as a part of the country in the face of any challenge», he wrote on Twitter. Mi prioridad en este momento es devolver la normalidad a Ceuta. Sus ciudadanos y ciudadanas deben saber que cuentan con el apoyo absoluto del Gobierno de España y la máxima firmeza para velar por su seguridad y defender su integridad como parte del país ante cualquier desafío. — Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) May 18, 2021 A tweet that sounds like a response to the declaration of the President of the People's Party, published a few hours earlier. «The government of Spain must immediately guarantee the integrity of our borders and coordinate with Morocco for the repatriation of migrants to their country», demanded Pablo Casado. Acabo de hablar con el presidente de Ceuta para apoyarle en la grave crisis migratoria que sufre nuestra ciudad autónoma. El Gobierno de España debe garantizar de inmediato la integridad de nuestras fronteras y coordinar con Marruecos la devolución de los inmigrantes a su país. pic.twitter.com/sTMWtsRliU — Pablo Casado Blanco (@pablocasado_) May 17, 2021 1,500 Moroccans repatriated For his part, Santiago Abascal, the head of Vox also announced on Twitter that «Morocco has invaded Ceuta with thousands of attackers, because of the cowardly and criminal inaction of the government which ceded our southern border». «We demand the deployment of the army and the expulsion of the invaders», he argued. Marruecos está invadiendo #Ceuta con miles de asaltantes por la inacción cobarde y criminal del Gobierno que ha rendido nuestra frontera sur. Exigimos el despliegue del ejército y la expulsión de los invasores. Mañana me desplazaré a Ceuta para apoyar a nuestros compatriotas ?? — Santiago Abascal ?? (@Santi_ABASCAL) May 17, 2021 Faced with pressure from the opposition, the Spanish Minister of Interior revealed the expulsion to Morocco of 1,500 people, who entered Ceuta yesterday through swimming. Fernando Grande-Marlaska stressed Monday that the determination of his government to continue this operation carried out «in effective coordination» with the Moroccan authorities. The minister indicated that since the first hours of the exodus to Ceuta, a crisis unit was set up in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Defense as well as other competent services in order to guarantee border security. «Ceuta is Spain, like Madrid and Barcelona and we have adopted all the measures», he said. For the record, around 6,000 migrants entered Ceuta between Monday and Tuesday.
