Feijóo criticizes Sánchez over 25-day delay in convening National Security Council on Ceuta crisis
The People's Party filed a parliamentary motion urging border deportations and a national security declaration as the government formed a unified command under Ángel Víctor Torres.
Feijóo denounces executive delay on Ceuta
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, president of the People's Party (PP), publicly criticized Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday for waiting 25 days to convene the National Security Council following mass border entries in the autonomous city of Ceuta. Feijóo posted on social media platform X alongside media clippings reporting the meeting, arguing that the border crossings at the end of July represented a violation of Spain's territorial integrity. Party leaders at PP headquarters in Madrid stated that the national security body should have met in the immediate hours following the influx on 30 and 31 July rather than waiting nearly four weeks.
Spain suffers a violation of its territorial integrity and Sánchez takes almost a month to convene the National Security Council. About time.
Alicia García, the PP spokesperson in the Senate, also condemned the timing, asserting that emergency border management required instant executive action instead of a response scheduled after the summer vacation period.
When the emergency requires immediate leadership, reacting upon returning leisurely from vacation is not good enough. Ceuta needed the state from day one, not a late meeting.
Opposition motion in Congress
On Monday, the PP registered a non-legislative motion in the Congress of Deputies demanding a coordinated state response to protect the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The PP argued that the late-July influx overwhelmed ordinary border control mechanisms on an external border of both Spain and the European Union. Party representatives stated that the arrival disrupted daily operations in Ceuta, directly affecting the lives of its more than 80,000 residents.
The parliamentary motion calls on the central government to formally declare a situation of national security interest under Spain's National Security Law and appoint a functional authority to direct emergency resources. Additionally, the text demands the immediate activation of legal procedures for voluntary return or deportation of individuals who entered Spain irregularly, the deployment of extra immigration police units in Ceuta, and an approved timetable to finalize pending administrative processing.
- Mass border crossing occurs at the Ceuta frontier
- Second consecutive day of mass border entries in the autonomous city
- PP registers parliamentary motion and criticizes the government delay
- National Security Council convenes before the Council of Ministers meeting
Single command and government scheduling
The central executive scheduled the National Security Council meeting for Tuesday at 09:00 in Madrid, to be followed immediately by a Council of Ministers meeting focused on aid and policy measures for Ceuta. First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo defended the timeline, stating that government actions had been progressive and orderly throughout August. Cuerpo noted that the council was convened at the appropriate moment because the border crisis had reached a new phase requiring centralized inter-ministerial coordination.
The single command will make it possible to act effectively and ensure that this situation is not repeated.
Under the plan announced by Cuerpo, Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory Ángel Víctor Torres will head a unified command structure. The specialized coordination committee includes representatives from Spain's National Intelligence Centre (CNI) and the autonomous government of Ceuta, led by its president, Juan Jesús Vivas. Feijóo and the PP continue to demand an urgent parliamentary appearance from Sánchez to justify the timing of the response.
