Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Tuesday a “state of national security interest” in response to the crisis triggered by the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta from Morocco.

The announcement followed an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council devoted to the Ceuta crisis, held 26 days after the mass arrivals in late July. The meeting was attended by the president of the Government of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, as well as 17 ministers, including the government’s three deputy prime ministers.

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Trade and Business Carlos Cuerpo announced the activation of the measure, which in practice represents the highest level of seriousness in the field of civil protection. He confirmed that the Minister for Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, would assume unified command — a step Vivas had been calling for.

The first deputy prime minister said he was convinced the decision would mark a “turning point” in the management of the situation of migrants who remain in the autonomous city, after around 80,000 people entered it, according to Spanish figures, on July 30 and 31.

“We hope that the coordination mechanism enabled by unified command will help ensure that returns, where necessary, are carried out as quickly as possible, and that the cases of minors and people entitled to seek asylum are processed as swiftly as possible,” Cuerpo said, stressing the importance of cooperation among the various administrations.

Cuerpo acknowledged the need to “resolve all these cases as soon as possible, firmly and effectively,” with the aim of “returning those who do not have the right to remain in our country, and properly receiving minors and asylum seekers who are entitled to do so,” while ensuring “all humanitarian and legal guarantees.”

The Spanish Prime Minister’s Office plans to hold a series of meetings this week with social stakeholders, associations, and the most relevant sectors, along with the Government of Ceuta, in order to “put emergency measures into effect immediately,” with the aim of “presenting and approving them as soon as possible.”

What a state of national security interest means

The declaration of a “state of national security interest” allows the Spanish government to extend its control over the autonomous city and appoint a “functional authority” to lead and coordinate the necessary measures — a role that will be assigned to the Minister for Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres. It also allows for the mobilization of human and material resources, both public and private.

Activating the measure requires the prime minister to approve a royal decree, with Congress immediately informed of the measures taken and developments in the situation, without the declaration needing to be put to a vote or approved by parliament.

The measure is regulated by Article 23 of Spain’s National Security Law, which defines it as “a situation which, due to the severity of its effects, the scale of the measures required to resolve it, and its urgent and cross-sectoral nature, requires enhanced coordination among the competent authorities as they exercise their ordinary powers.”

A state of national security interest is applied “under the leadership” of the government and within the framework of the national security system, ensuring “the optimal, integrated, and flexible use of all available resources,” in accordance with the conditions set out by law.

The law states that the crisis “will be addressed using the ordinary powers and means of the various public administrations, and may under no circumstances entail the suspension of citizens’ fundamental rights and public freedoms” — unlike the state of emergency previously used to impose lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Formally, the prime minister must declare the state by royal decree, which must at least specify the nature of the crisis, the geographical scope of the affected area, the duration of the declaration, and the possibility of extending it where appropriate.

The royal decree must also identify the human and material resources needed to address the state of national security interest, including resources provided for in preparedness and resource-allocation plans, as well as any additional resources that may be required in each case.