MADRID, Spain – National Police have informed the investigating judge that the mass entry of more than 70,000 people into Ceuta on July 30 and 31 was guided by Moroccan gendarmes acting under the orders of plainclothes agents, with the objective being different from a migration incident. The report from the National Immigration and Borders Centre attributes to Moroccan forces the planning and execution of the irregular entry, and the judge of the National Court, María Tardón, who was on duty that day, requested reports from the National Police and Civil Guard to determine if there were indications of a crime against the independence of the State.
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In its report, the police dismiss the idea that what occurred was a spontaneous incident and maintain that it was a planned operation in which Moroccan gendarmes participated under the orders of plainclothes agents, and to which Morocco tried to give the appearance of a migration crisis. The General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders had already warned of the risk of entry into Ceuta and Melilla by sea on the previous day, July 29, and another official document proves that the National Police warned on July 29 of an extreme risk of mass arrivals of migrants to Ceuta.
Despite the Sánchez government’s insistence that it had no information warning of the mass entry into Ceuta, two prior reports from the National Immigration and Borders Centre existed. The July 28 report informed the Secretary of State for Security and therefore Minister Marlaska of the existence of extreme risk on the border of Ceuta and Melilla. A day later, another report not only indicated the day of the possible illegal accesses, July 30, but also that thousands of people would do so by swimming and in a coordinated manner, exactly what occurred.
The CENIF report on what occurred, sent to the National Court, also describes the different profiles of the people involved. In a first wave, young Moroccan men, well-equipped with wetsuits and fins, followed later by entire families considered vulnerable and sub-Saharan individuals. Furthermore, it details how Moroccan gendarmes, who received instructions from plainclothes agents, gave indications on how to access Ceuta. The objective, nothing to do with migration, was to collapse the border and eliminate Spain’s response capacity.
Following the publication of this report, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent a letter early this morning to the director of the Police requesting information, describing the information as essential for both himself and the government to exercise their responsibility in matters of interior and foreign policy and defence of the State. Marlaska expressed his anger at not having been informed of events that, if true, affect national security and should be immediately communicated to the Interior Ministry and the unified command leading the crisis.
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The revelations are likely to significantly escalate tensions between Spain and Morocco, which has consistently denied any official involvement in the mass border crossing. The judicial investigation will continue to examine the evidence and determine whether any criminal liability arises from the events.
