Spain investigates the migration wave to Ceuta: Is it an action by a criminal organization?

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares claimed on Monday that the dissemination of false and misleading information was the "main factor" that led to the mass entry of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week.

In an interview with the TVE network, Albares stated:

"There was a coordinated response from international reactionary elements, who quickly escalated the events and even spread lies and fake news regarding the Schengen area."

According to him, Spain will demand solidarity from European Union countries on Tuesday at a meeting of the interior ministers of the 27 countries and the European Commission. The Foreign Minister added that Morocco cooperated in resolving the crisis "from the first moment."

At the same time, the National Court in Spain requested the National Police to submit a report regarding the "mass illegal entry" of migrants into Ceuta. The purpose of the investigation is to determine whether it was a "coordinated action of a criminal organization."

According to Spanish intelligence sources who spoke with the media outlet "El País," the authorities in Morocco did not plan the wave of mass entry into Ceuta, but allowed it to happen and derived political profit from it. The assessment suggests that Morocco did not stop the flow of migrants towards the Tarajal crossing and even facilitated their passage.

The crisis left nearly a hundred people dead who drowned while trying to swim across the border, and significantly undermined coexistence in the Spanish city in North Africa. According to intelligence sources, the event surprised the Spanish government, which was focused at the time on fighting forest fires.

Leader of the Spanish People's Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, attacked Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, claiming that Spain has become a "pariah state." According to him, the entry of tens of thousands of people into Ceuta was a "planned occupation and a violation of the country's territorial integrity."

Feijóo cast doubt on the fact that Spain's National Intelligence Center did not know about the expected arrival of about 60,000 people, stating that "it is impossible that the advance of masses towards the coast escaped the authorities' notice."

Feijóo further accused the Spanish government of a policy that led to criticism from European leaders. In a letter, 22 European leaders warned that policies regarding the regularization of migrants' status could become a "pull factor" and increase migration. European leaders called for an urgent video conference of EU interior ministers and warned that they are prepared to "strengthen or restore temporary control" at internal borders to deal with the risk of secondary migration.

Meanwhile, the People's Party launched a political move in the Spanish parliament, submitting a series of questions to the government in the lower house and the Senate, where it holds an absolute majority.