"The sports complexes are not going to be used for this. And they are going to have to remove me from the sports complexes if they are going to try," he stated. Vivas added that he will be accompanied by "everyone who wants to come" with him.
The president of Ceuta will also demand that the State take charge of the unaccompanied migrant minors who remain in the city after the massive entry on July 30. He will present this request during the first meeting of the Situation Committee, chaired by the coordinator of the Unified Command, Ángel Víctor Torres, and to which the Minister of Migrations, Elma Saiz, will attend.
Vivas asks for the State to take responsibility for migrant minors
"We do not have the capacity to accommodate 3,500 or 4,000 minors. And we are going to ask that it be the State that takes charge of this," Vivas declared.
The president of Ceuta links this demand to the state competencies over border control. In his opinion, an Administration of the dimensions of the autonomous city cannot face alone the care of thousands of minors who arrived as a result of a massive entry.
"Who is competent and who is, in any case, responsible for the massive entry in Ceuta that has resulted in a violation of the integrity of the borders and of territorial integrity?" he posed.
Vivas will take this position to the monitoring committee of the Unified Command and will demand new measures to restore normality. He has also announced that he will go to the General Courts, to the Judiciary, and to European institutions to present the situation in Ceuta.
More police, officials, judges, and prosecutors
The president of Ceuta demands an extraordinary mobilization of state resources. Among the needs that have been conveyed to him by people knowledgeable about migration management, he mentioned more immigration officials, National Police agents, interpreters, judges, and prosecutors.
He also proposes to move the Asylum and Refuge Unit to Ceuta and create a specific judicial body to process the procedures arising from the crisis.
"What has to happen in Spain for there to be a mobilization of sufficient resources to address a violation of its territorial integrity?" he asked.
Vivas has assured that his Government will use "all capacities, all means, until the last breath" to ensure that the city recovers normality as soon as possible.
Vivas accuses the Government of institutional disloyalty
The confrontation over the sports centers stems from the inclusion of these facilities in a draft decree from the Government without prior consultation with the City. Vivas believes that this decision represents a lack of "institutional loyalty".
The possibility of converting sports facilities into reception spaces has provoked a strong social reaction. Hundreds of Ceutíes protested this Tuesday against the measure.
Ángel Víctor Torres later clarified that the sports centers would only be used in an extreme situation and prior agreement with the Ceutí Administration. The minister and Vivas had already agreed that the new locations would be chosen by consensus.
The president of the City considers, however, that Ceuta has already sacrificed too many public spaces as a consequence of the crisis.
"Ceuta has been left without a fair, without urban parks, without playgrounds. Now, what happens, that it also has to be left without sports centers?", he has asked.
El Tarajal, the alternative proposed by Ceuta
In contrast to the use of sports facilities, the Ceutí Government has proposed different locations to temporarily house migrants. The priority is to place them outside residential areas and reduce the impact on the daily lives of the neighbors.
Vivas has particularly pointed out the area of Tarajal, near the border, which he considers "ideal" for installing these devices.
The president also demands a plan to return migrants who arrived irregularly and do not have the right to remain in Spain. "When the solution is in the return, let them return, let them provide means, let them make a plan, let us know it," he has stated.
The City, according to Vivas, will collaborate in the search for locations, but demands that any decision be made through dialogue and respecting its competencies. "I am not defending myself, I am defending Ceuta," he concluded.