The central Executive has supported that the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, be the one to assume the so-called 'single command' to manage the crisis triggered by the massive influx of migrants in Ceuta at the end of July. La Moncloa justifies this choice based on his track record in other recent emergencies, such as the dana, and on his previous experience in Canary politics, while the minister himself has asked the PP for "constructive proposals" and to "pitch in."
The spokesperson minister, Elma Saiz, emphasized in the press conference following the Council of Ministers that "I can't think of a better person to lead this functional authority or single command," highlighting his background as president of the Canary Islands and later as head of Territorial Policy. In this way, she responded to the criticisms from the PP, which demanded that the role fall to a minister with competencies more directly linked to the migratory phenomenon.
Torres himself has also claimed his profile, recalling that it should not seem "strange" that someone who already coordinates the Immigration commission, the dana commission, and other commissions, and who comes from a "border territory" with numerous similarities to Ceuta and Melilla, now takes on this new responsibility.
Both Saiz and Torres have also defended that the designation of the single command has been formalized at this moment and not immediately after the arrival of more than 70,000 people from Morocco. According to the spokesperson, the situation now enters a "new phase" that "requires further strengthening the coordination among all the authorities and administrations involved."
The also Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration has emphasized that "This Government is facing this extraordinary situation, to which we are giving an extraordinary response, with humility, giving our all, always with a willingness to improve," stressing the continuous presence of ministers and high officials in the autonomous city during these weeks.
Torres has insisted that "the Government of Spain has not stopped working" during this period, just like the Ceuta Executive, and has listed some of the measures implemented by departments such as Interior, Defense, Justice, or Childhood over the past three weeks.
In this context, the minister has sent a direct message to the opposition: "I also appeal for the opposition to do so with constructive proposals and lending a hand" as already happened in 2020 in the Canary Islands, when "a phenomenon like this" occurred with the concentration of more than 3,000 migrants at the Arguineguín dock (Gran Canaria). He has recalled that at that time he was the regional president and that "others who were in the opposition had a loyal attitude."
Torres has reiterated the Government's willingness to continue working hand in hand with the president of Ceuta, Juan Vivas, to restore normality in the autonomous city as soon as possible. In his opinion, "any government that is in the solution of problems or any political organization should lend a shoulder and roll up their sleeves."
The minister has insisted that the priority objective is to restore the "normality" prior to the massive entry of migrants, something that, he has emphasized, will only be possible through close cooperation with Vivas and his team. "We are not going to solve it if we are confronted," he has warned.
Torres has also harshly criticized the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, for his statements about the return of migrant minors. "Saying that minors must be returned, knowing that this involves a process, and that not doing so as the law states has led to" public officials in Ceuta being held accountable, "is recklessness, a folly, and a lack of truth."
In his opinion, "If that is to be said for populism or because one wants to win or scrape some votes, one is mistaken." The minister will travel today to the autonomous city and is scheduled to appear on Thursday before the National Security Commission of the Congress of Deputies to report on the evolution of the crisis.
From Moncloa, it is also justified that the decision to appoint a single command now responds to the evolution of the context. Government sources recall that, although Juan Vivas suggested in the early stages of the crisis that the central Executive could take over management, it was not until last week that he clearly expressed his desire for that to happen.
These sources emphasize that there have been no problems of discoordination with the Ceuta authorities, although there have been differences of opinion that have become public. At the same time, they highlight that in the first 48 hours, the exit of about 70,000 of the migrants who had entered irregularly in Ceuta was achieved and that, every day, between 50 and 100 people voluntarily leave the autonomous city to return to Morocco, while barely any new entries by swimming from the neighboring country have been recorded.