Spain's foreign minister on Tuesday warned migrants not to risk their lives attempting to enter Ceuta irregularly amid misinformation and calls circulating on social media related to another mass border crossing on Aug. 15.
Speaking during a visit to the Spanish enclave, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares directly addressed people in Morocco and elsewhere in Africa who may be considering trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, the two autonomous cities of Spain on the North African coast.
"Do not risk your lives in an adventure doomed to failure," Albares said, warning people against believing "false information" about what they could obtain by entering the Spanish territories irregularly.
The warning comes as Spanish authorities reinforce security ahead of Saturday. The military has canceled leave for personnel stationed in Ceuta from Thursday, while the Civil Guard has suspended new vacations, leave and other permits for officers serving in Ceuta and Melilla.
The measures follow the unprecedented crossings of July 30 and 31, when around 72,000 people entered Ceuta from neighboring Morocco, according to the Spanish government.
Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres appeared to put the figure at 80,000 on Monday, but government sources later clarified to Spanish news agency EFE that the official estimate remains 72,000.
Most of those who entered have since returned to Morocco, but Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas said Tuesday that around 10,000 people in an irregular situation remain in the city, many living on the streets or in makeshift settlements.
Albares said Spain was working with Morocco to accelerate returns, saying his Moroccan counterpart and other authorities had expressed their "total willingness" to take back people who entered irregularly.
"Every last person who entered Spain irregularly will return to Morocco," Albares said.
Vivas welcomed the commitment, arguing that eliminating the expectation that reaching Ceuta could lead to residency or asylum was key to preventing another mass crossing.
"The best way to stop another situation like this is for everyone to lose the expectation that by coming to Ceuta they will get papers and asylum," he said.
Albares also called on the EU to strengthen its support for Ceuta, describing the border between Europe and Africa as one of the most complex in the world and urging greater European "solidarity."
He insisted that no one who crossed irregularly into Ceuta in late July has traveled onward to mainland Spain or elsewhere in Europe, pointing to Ceuta's special border regime, which requires additional document controls before people can travel to the mainland.
Albares also directly criticized Italy for imposing border controls on travelers arriving from Spain, saying the move was most likely driven by "partisan interests" and "electoral needs."
