Ceuta migration crisis splits Spanish parties as PP demands Sánchez act, PSOE deputy breaks ranks, Vox seeks coalition

Mass crossing and ongoing crisis

On 30 July, more than 80,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, according to the PP. Sixteen days later, on 15 August, the party estimated that more than 11,000 of those who entered irregularly remained in the city. PSOE deputy Melchor León cited 28 million euros in losses, suspended festivals, and businesses closing, while describing a city where residents "no longer recognize their streets." The PP's national leadership warned that the situation is "unsustainable" and called for exceptional measures to provide certainty in the short, medium, and long term.

PP demands Sánchez take charge

Jaime de los Santos, PP vicesecretary of Education and Equality, accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of remaining "hidden" at La Mareta, the official residence in Lanzarote, without visiting Ceuta or assuming the "mando único" requested by Ceuta president Juan Jesús Vivas. De los Santos said 16 days had passed and Sánchez had given no explanation. The PP demands three things: a unified command led by Sánchez, a detention center (CIE) for the thousands who entered irregularly, and border policy "at the height of the circumstances." De los Santos criticized several ministers as "disoriented" and in permanent conflict: Margarita Robles and Fernando Grande Marlaska for contradictory statements about whether the CNI warned the Interior Ministry; Félix Bolaños for not contacting his Moroccan counterpart after Rabat threatened to suspend the extradition treaty; Mónica García for absence during what the PP calls a health crisis with serious diseases; and Ana Redondo for failing to address sexual assaults against minors.

PP works on asylum reform

The PP's national leadership backs Vivas's request to suspend asylum rights in Ceuta and is already working on legal reforms to achieve it. The party cites the "safe country directive" as a European instrument and proposes amending the 2009 Asylum Law. PP sources told La Razón that "if even one of those who entered Ceuta stays, it will be lethal." The party blames the central government for the "violation of territorial integrity," a phrase used by Sánchez himself, citing foreign policy shifts, "submission" to the Moroccan regime, lack of planning, and mass regularization policies that have made Spain "an easy destination for mafias." The PP also noted that 22 EU countries signed a letter identifying Sánchez's migration policy as a danger to the Union.

PSOE deputy breaks ranks

Melchor León, PSOE deputy and vicepresidente segundo of the Ceuta Assembly, publicly demanded the resignation of government delegate Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, who is also PSOE secretary general in Ceuta and the party's candidate for the next regional elections. León accused Pérez Triano of "looking the other way" while the city "bleeds."

If for telling the truth they open a file or expel me, I don't care

He linked the migration crisis to security problems including robberies, assaults, and rapes, and said children should be able to go out "calm, without fear." His statements coincide with an internal reshuffle in the PSOE parliamentary group in Ceuta, which excluded people close to Pérez Triano from municipal company positions.

Vox demands coalition government

Vox leader in Ceuta, Juan Sergio Redondo, demanded the PP form a coalition government, combining the PP's nine assembly seats with Vox's four. He called on Vivas to "immediately break" agreements with the PSOE and MDyC, the party led by Fátima Hamed, and to expel their representatives from the Assembly vicepresidencies and the Port Authority board. Redondo said Vivas shares responsibility for the crisis by backing Sánchez's policies, and said the government response has been limited to press conferences and ministerial visits while the situation "continues to deteriorate and worsen."