Thousands of migrants made their way from Morocco to Spanish Ceuta on Thursday. The autonomous city authorities requested Madrid to declare an emergency and regain control of the border. The crisis shows how quickly, without real border protection, national safety is breaking.
Mass entrances to Ceuta
Thousands of migrants crossed the border between Morocco and Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city located in North Africa on Thursday. The Associated Press reports that people have entered Spain massively and that local services have not been able to control the situation. The authorities of Ceuta called on the central government to declare emergency and send troops to reconstruct border control.
The crisis has been increasing for days. According to the AP report, hundreds of people sailed from the Moroccan coast towards Ceuta. any celebrated the influence of Tarajal's breakwater. Over 1,500 migrants, adults and minors, reached the city within a week. On Thursday, force increased rapidly.
The city demands Madrid's response
President Ceuta Juan Jesús Vivas considered the situation to require a reaction from the state. He requested that the Spanish Government announce an emergency situation and take action with a single command. This request has concrete grounds. Ceuta is liable for the care of minors, while adult centres are the work of central authorities. The abrupt influx of people overloads both systems.
The city's authorities were on the front line, but the protection of the state border cannot be dropped on the self-government. Madrid shall be liable for the integrity of the territory of Spain, the operation of services and decisions vis-à-vis persons who have crossed the border without the requisite control. The corpse increases chaos, costs and risks for residents and migrants themselves.
Spain and Morocco agreed on Thursday to velocity up return procedures against those who entered Ceuta illegally. Moroccan diplomatic sources pointed to the activities of criminal organizations and assured cooperation with Spain. However, declarations alone will not replace the physical protection of the border and the smooth implementation of the law.
Review of the 2021 crisis
The current events match the crisis of May 2021. Within 2 days, more than 8,000 people entered Ceuta. The mass influx occurred at the limited reaction of Moroccan services and sparked a serious dispute between Madrid and Rabat.
The Ceuta has a peculiar position. It is part of Spain and forms the external border of the European Union, although it lies on the African coast. Any weakening of controls in this place immediately becomes a European problem. Free movement within the Schengen area can only work if the external borders are effectively protected.
The human measurement must be maintained. Crossing the sea endangers lives, and smugglers exploit desperation and deficiency of prospects. The state has a work to save people in danger. This work does not mean consent to uncontrolled border crossing or resignation from asylum and return procedures.
Lesson for Poland
For Poland, the image from Ceuta is simply a warning. The border is not a decoration or an administrative line on the map. It protects citizens' safety, legal order and the ability of the State to decide who enters its territory. Poland knows the migratory force on the border with Belarus and knows that weakness is immediately tested.
The European migration policy has been focusing besides long on the separation of impacts, alternatively of stopping illegal crossings, breaking up smuggling networks and effective return. The quote shows the price of this approach. First control is lost, then local communities are left alone with the costs of the crisis, and yet Brussels is trying to spread work to countries that have not allowed the problem to arise.
The Polish interest is clear: tough protection of its own border, humanitarian aid granted without abandoning the law and opposition to imposing forced relocation. A safe Europe begins where you can say who can cross the border and under what conditions.
Source: Bankier.pl
