The Government delegate in Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, denied this Tuesday that he had prior information that would allow him to foresee the episode of mass entry of migrants recorded in the city on July 30 and 31, following the complaint filed against him by the organization Manos Limpias.
The Court of First Instance and Instruction number 6 of Ceuta has initiated preliminary proceedings following the complaint from the union, which claims that the representative of the central Executive had been warned, through the National Intelligence Center (CNI), of possible movements of immigrants and that, despite this, he had not taken measures to prevent what it considers a crime against the independence and security of the State.
Regarding the judicial investigation, Pérez Triano indicated that he is still unaware of the specific content of the complaint, although he has expressed the opinion that these proceedings can serve to highlight the work carried out by the Government Delegation both before and after the events.
"It can be an opportunity to show all the work that has been done since the election of the Government from the day 30 and from the days prior," he emphasized in a statement made this Tuesday afternoon in the autonomous city.
The delegate has reiterated that at no time did he receive documentation or warnings that would allow him to anticipate the scenario that ultimately occurred. "No type of report that would allow us to foresee any type of scenario in which we would later find ourselves," he insisted.
Pérez Triano has thus defended the actions of the Government Delegation during the migration crisis and has emphasized that he himself had been working on the migration situation in Ceuta prior to July 30.
Migration crisis and management on the ground
In this line, he detailed that in recent weeks he has concentrated his efforts on locating spaces for the care of migrants, removing those who generated the most tension in specific points of the city, and requesting reinforcements to strengthen and secure the border perimeter.
His words also come after there have been public calls for his resignation in recent weeks. The delegate has assured that he respects both those who demand his departure and those who support his continuity, although he has stressed that the criticisms must be based on the reasons that originate them.
"I personally, from the first minute, not from day 30, but from much earlier, was working on the migratory reality that we were encountering," he stated.
Pérez Triano added that during this period he has barely been able to see his family due to his dedication to managing the crisis and has reported receiving "insults and threats," which he also described as a form of violence.
Normality still distant and State response
Regarding the evolution of the crisis a week after the establishment of the single command and the monitoring committee, the delegate admitted that the return to normality is still distant.
"The reality is still far away," he affirmed, before pointing out that the goal is for the different administrations to complete the files of the migrant people who remain in the city.
Likewise, Pérez Triano emphasized that at this moment "the entire State" is involved in different areas to recover normality "as soon as possible."
The delegate also considered the economic measures announced by the Government to cushion the impact of the migratory crisis in Ceuta to be essential and recalled that the Delegation communicated from the very beginning to the Secretary of State for Commerce the concerns and forecasts of the business fabric. "It is a very strong economic blow," he acknowledged.
However, he reiterated that the priority remains the processing of migratory procedures. He explained that the Ministry of Migrations is working on the habilitation of spaces to carry out the triages, while the Ministry of the Interior is speeding up the administrative procedures.
The purpose, he concluded, is to close "as soon as possible" the files and proceed with the return of the majority of the people who entered irregularly in Ceuta on July 30 and 31 and who do not have the right to international protection.