The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, has conveyed a message of "calm" and "confidence in the State" amid the migratory crisis in Ceuta. He emphasized that the "priority" of the Government is to "process the return" of the people who crossed the border on July 30 and 31 to their place of origin and assured that more resources will be sent as soon as the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) formalizes its request.
Bolaños intervened this Thursday before the Joint Commission of National Security in the Congress of Deputies, convened to analyze the consequences of the massive entry of immigrants from Morocco into the autonomous city.
At the beginning of his appearance, the minister said he was aware "of the political and social dimension of the events" and described them as "an indisputably serious fact." In the face of this situation, he insisted on a message of "calm" and "confidence in the State."
"We are working tirelessly," he stated, emphasizing that the Council of Ministers is "committed" and that "this is the moment when the State is most present in Ceuta."
Judicial reinforcement and returns
In relation to the administration of justice, Bolaños explained that his "current priority is to reinforce justice to process the return of migrant people to their countries of origin" and admitted that "it is a complex procedure."
He announced that the Ministry will assume and authorize "immediately" the reinforcements requested by the CGPJ and the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia, and pointed out that he expects to receive that request "this week."
"As soon as we receive it, within hours, the Ministry of Justice will approve the corresponding budget allocation. Within hours. And we will reinforce the Court of Instance of Ceuta in order to process with greater agility," he detailed.
Even so, he defended that the deployment of resources "has been forceful and immediate" thanks to the "accumulated experience." "We know that from previous occasions that these situations need a reinforcement also in terms of justice and that is why we wanted to anticipate," he added.
The rumors and the Supreme Court ruling
The minister attributed the trigger for the massive entry to "two rumors resulting from the distortion of a ruling by the Supreme Court" which, "among other circumstances," contributed to what happened in Ceuta on July 30 and 31.
According to what has been explained, "that distortion that occurred led to two rumors that spread very widely on social networks. The first of the rumors is that the border was open, the second is that if you enter swimming into Spain they could not return you."
The Supreme Court ruled at the end of June that migrants who access Ceuta or Melilla by swimming should be subject to the ordinary return procedure and not the rejection at the border. However, it specified that "nothing would prevent" resorting to the so-called hot returns if "containment elements are implemented at sea to protect the border line."