The national spokesperson of the PP, Borja Sémper, stated this Monday that with the current legal framework it is already possible to proceed with the return of irregular migrants who entered en masse in Ceuta, thus ruling out the promotion of extraordinary formulas such as a state of exception.
"We have said on many occasions that the return of people who entered Spain irregularly does not require a new legal framework but is covered by the present one and by the European one. It can be done already," Sémper declared at a press conference at the PP headquarters, after the meeting of the steering committee presided over by Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
The 'popular' leader responded in this way to the words of former Defense Minister Federico Trillo, who has advocated declaring a state of exception in Ceuta considering that it would facilitate the expulsion of "all illegal invaders, whether or not they are minors."
In an interview granted to Europa Press, Trillo explained that if a state of exception is declared "at that moment all those who have entered illegally can be expelled." This instrument, of a constitutional and extraordinary nature, is activated by a decree from the Council of Ministers authorized by Congress in situations of serious disruption of public order, and allows the State to restrict rights and assume exceptional powers to face scenarios that exceed institutional normality.
Sémper calls to expedite expulsion proceedings
At the same time, Sémper has advocated for shortening administrative deadlines so that the return of those immigrants materializes as soon as possible. "The procedures can be expedited. We proposed to increase foreign services in three shifts, morning, afternoon, and night so that those proceedings could be expedited. Today, there is nothing of that," he lamented.
The PP spokesperson has reminded that Morocco is considered a "safe country" and emphasized that if the neighboring country is going to "organize a World Cup, it can perfectly host the people who jumped the fence."
"What we have seen in Ceuta is so exceptional that it requires a response that is also at the level, exceptional. And this is what we have been asking from minute one from the Government," Sémper emphasized, insisting that the Executive must react more forcefully.
When referring again to the statements of the former Minister of Defense in the governments of José María Aznar, Sémper has emphasized that "anyone obviously has the perfect right to contribute to the public debate what they consider," but he has stressed that the official position of the PP "is clear."
Vivas avoids commenting on the state of emergency
On the other hand, the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, has avoided explicitly supporting the option of applying the state of emergency and has limited himself to pointing out that it is not his competence to determine what the legal tool should be to make the return of irregular migrants who accessed the autonomous city effective.
When directly asked about Trillo's proposal to declare a state of emergency to facilitate the return of irregular immigrants, whether or not they are minors, Vivas has admitted that "Ceuta is experiencing an exceptional situation" and has reiterated that the recovery of normality constitutes an "absolutely non-negotiable" demand for the city.
However, Vivas has refused to specify what legal figure should be applied. "What the legal instrument that should be applied to achieve that purpose is, well, it does not correspond to me," he has stated during his speech at the Nueva Economía Fórum breakfast, presented by Feijóo and attended by numerous PP 'barons.'
At that same event, one of the regional presidents of the PP present has defended, in private conversations, strengthening the staff of officials to expedite the expulsion files. "4,000 officials are needed to process files," he has exclaimed, in line with Feijóo's proposal.
In any case, Vivas has indicated that he does not know if the figure of the state of emergency is really viable in this context and has not ruled out that a measure of that type could be considered in an extreme scenario, for example if "tomorrow another 60,000" irregular migrants enter Spain.