The CENIF, acronym for the National Center for Immigration and Borders, has gone from being a little-known unit of the National Police to being at the center of the controversy over the migration crisis in Ceuta. This agency prepared the report sent to the National Court regarding the events of July 30 and 31, the content of which has provoked a clash of versions about the possible actions of Moroccan agents.
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, requested explanations from the Director General of the Police, Francisco Pardo, after several media outlets published that a police report pointed to Moroccan security forces for having guided the massive entry of migrants into Ceuta.
Hours later, the Ministry of the Interior disseminated a different version. According to what Pardo conveyed to the minister, "there is no police report that attributes to the Moroccan Security Forces the planning or execution" of what occurred on July 30 and 31. The Interior also explained that the documentation was under secrecy by judicial decision and that the judge of the National Court María Tardón authorized this Wednesday for the police superiors to be able to know it.
What is exactly the CENIF
The National Center for Immigration and Borders is part of the General Commissariat of Foreign Affairs and Borders of the National Police.
Its competencies are regulated in Order INT/859/2023, subsequently modified by Order INT/985/2023. The regulation expressly attributes to it "the activity of criminal intelligence in the areas of competence of the General Commissariat".
This places the CENIF as one of the units responsible for analyzing information on migration flows, irregular immigration, illegal border crossings, and vulnerabilities of border posts.
It also prepares specialized reports when requested by national or international bodies and participates in the strategic coordination of these matters.
What functions does it have
The competencies of the CENIF go far beyond the daily monitoring of irregular immigration.
According to current regulations, it acts in the application and monitoring of the rules of the European Union and the international sphere regarding foreign affairs and borders, performs functions as the National Central Office, and coordinates contact points used to exchange information with other units and institutions.
Among its areas of action are the assessment of border vulnerability, the evolution of migration flows, and technical and operational cooperation with counterpart units.
The Coordination Brigade for matters related to Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, also depends on the Center.
Why it is now linked to Ceuta
The CENIF has gained prominence due to a report prepared at the request of the National Court regarding the mass entry of migrants recorded in Ceuta at the end of July.
The documentation was requested within the proceedings directed by Judge María Tardón, following a complaint related to those events. EFE and Europa Press confirm that the document was prepared by the CENIF and sent to the judicial body.
The first published information about its content claimed that the analysis pointed to the involvement of Moroccan gendarmes and plainclothes agents who would have directed migrants towards the border, and presented the events as an operation aimed at collapsing the Spanish response capacity.
This account provoked an immediate reaction from Marlaska and an urgent meeting of the police director with officials from Foreign Affairs and Information.
Interior denies that the report attributes the operation to Morocco
The controversy increased during the afternoon with the official version provided by Interior.
Francisco Pardo communicated to Marlaska that the report does not hold Moroccan security forces responsible for the planning or execution of the migration crisis, according to the Ministry.
Interior also referred to another element that had generated controversy: an alert issued by the CENIF on July 29, one day before the start of the mass entries.
The General Directorate of the Police maintains that it was a "frequent risk alert" and that it did not contain any reference to a mass entry expected for the following day.
This point is particularly relevant because during the last few weeks the Government had denied having received a prior report that anticipated a crisis of the magnitude ultimately recorded.
A report under judicial secrecy
The difference between the initial information about the document and the subsequent explanation from Interior requires distinguishing between what is accredited and what remains under discussion.
It is confirmed that the CENIF prepared documentation for the National Court regarding the crisis in Ceuta and that this remained under judicial secrecy. It is also confirmed that Marlaska requested explanations from the director general of the Police after learning about the published information.
What the Interior rejects is that this document can be described as a report that directly attributes to Morocco the planning or execution of the events.
The National Court and the Prosecutor's Office must now assess the documentation within the proceedings opened regarding what happened in Ceuta.