Hovering over the Ministry of the Interior of Fernando Grande-Marlaska is the opacity of a department that continues to unsuccessfully try to clarify the content of a police report that supposedly points to Morocco as the architect of the illegal mass entry of migrants in Ceuta. And amidst the noise of sabers, Grande-Marlaska's response to this new open front is being considered among possible resignations that have already been demanded by the Government's partners and police unions.
The Spanish Confederation of Police (CEP) has demanded the departure of Grande-Marlaska, while Jupol extends its requests to the director general of the Police, Francisco Pardo, and to the Government delegate in Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano.
At the same time, Marlaska has asked Pardo for explanations regarding the police report sent to the judge of the National Court María Tardón, after information emerged pointing to a possible action by Moroccan agents in the organization of the mass entry.
The controversy also affects the way information was managed prior to the crisis. The National Center for Immigration and Borders (CENIF), author of the aforementioned report, had issued an alert on July 29 warning of an "extreme risk" regarding possible coordinated entries by sea and through jumps over the fence.
The alert of July 29, at the center of the debate
The existence of a police alert prior to the mass entry has become one of the main points of controversy. According to the disseminated content of the report, CENIF prepared an informative note on July 29 warning of a possible scenario of illegal entries by swimming and jumps over the fence. Everything, under the coordination of the Moroccan authorities.
The alert placed the risk at an extreme level and warned of the possibility that the accesses would occur in a coordinated manner. For the CEP, this circumstance demonstrates that the agents had previously conveyed the available information and that the responsibility for subsequent decisions lies with the political leaders.
"The national police did our job, we were up to the circumstances, we alerted in time and form prior to the assault of what was going to happen, but the national police are not the Government," stated their spokesperson, David Gutiérrez.
The union claims that, if the content of the report is confirmed, Marlaska should not continue at the head of the Ministry. It also questions the device deployed at Tarajal during the mass entry and maintains that there were around a dozen agents defending that border point.
Jupol demands accountability throughout the chain of command
Jupol has also focused on the police chain of command. The union argues that the General Directorate of the Police and the Ministry of the Interior were aware of prior information about the risk of a mass entry and demands explanations on how that information was managed.
Therefore, it calls for the resignation of Marlaska, Francisco Pardo, and Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano. Jupol also recalls that it had publicly warned on July 28, two days before the mass entry, that the situation in Ceuta was unsustainable.
The union assures that on August 28 it conveyed to the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, the existence of the CENIF report and the existence of prior police information about the extreme risk.
Jupol frames the situation in a scenario of "hybrid war" and demands clarification on what role the Moroccan authorities played in the events.
Sumar and IU also demand accountability
The controversy has also provoked a reaction within the political space that supports the Government.
The federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida, Antonio Maíllo, has conditioned accountability on what the investigation determines, but has proposed two scenarios.
If it is confirmed that the Police acted disloyally towards the Interior and concealed information from the Ministry, he believes that Francisco Pardo should resign. If, on the contrary, it is proven that the Interior was aware of the conclusions of the report and did not convey them, he points directly to the minister.
"If it is confirmed that the Police have been disloyal to the Ministry of the Interior, the director general of the Police will have to resign. And, if it is confirmed that the Ministry of the Interior had this information and did not transmit it, then the minister of the Interior will have to assume responsibility," he stated.
The spokesperson for Sumar in Congress, Verónica Martínez, has demanded "clarity and transparency" and has defended that responsibilities must be clarified if it is confirmed that there was information that did not reach the political leaders.
The deputy of Compromís Alberto Ibáñez has also raised the two possibilities: that the Police concealed information from the Ministry or that Marlaska offered an incorrect version about the role of Morocco.
From Podemos, its co-spokesperson Pablo Fernández has directly demanded the resignation or dismissal of Marlaska for his management of the crisis.
The unknown about possible dismissals
The political and union pressure comes as Interior internally analyzes what happened with the report and with the information available before the massive entry.
According to El Periódico published this Wednesday citing sources from Interior, the department led by Grande-Marlaska does not rule out making decisions about the chain of command once it is determined whether the content of the document was hypotheses of the investigators based on open sources or conclusions that they considered sufficiently accredited.
But, for the moment, Interior has not confirmed any dismissal.