Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said 12,000 migrants have left Ceuta since August, while eight organizations asked Spain’s ombudsman to investigate asylum access and returns after a July mass crossing.
More than 70,000 people entered the Spanish enclave irregularly on July 30-31, the ombudsman said. In remarks Oct. 16, Grande-Marlaska said departures included voluntary returns and judicial or administrative decisions, but he gave no complete breakdown of the 12,000.
The government’s Sept. 29 update counted 8,243 departures: 7,794 voluntary returns and 449 expulsions. It also reported screening 3,220 adults, with the pace exceeding 100 a day after 96 staff were added. The government said 25% to 30% of those screened chose not to seek international protection.
The eight organizations said migrants lacked clear information, interpretation and legal assistance and faced obstacles when seeking asylum or appealing decisions. They also questioned whether some group returns classified as voluntary reflected a free choice. The signatories to the Oct. 13 complaint were Asociación Elín, Amnistía Internacional, Federación Sur Acoge, Irídia, No Name Kitchen, Novact, Oxfam Intermón and Red Acoge. Grande-Marlaska denied that migrants had been covertly returned to Morocco.
The ombudsman’s staff visited Ceuta on Sept. 15-17, before the organizations filed their complaint. The office called for urgent protection of children still outside the city’s protection system. The government said its initial priorities were to return migrants, prevent another mass crossing and provide humanitarian help. It said Ceuta’s migrant center had about 500 to 600 places and that more than 3,400 places had been added elsewhere.
Reuters reported that Fatna, 21, entered Ceuta on July 30 while pregnant and accompanied by a son with a disability. Her newborn daughter has kidney problems, and the family needs specialist care on mainland Spain, Reuters reported.
The European Commission says the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which began applying June 12, sets a standard limit of 12 weeks, including appeals, for the border asylum procedure used for specified applicants. If the applicable deadline passes without a decision, the applicant moves to the regular asylum procedure.
