US President Donald Trump on Saturday slammed Spain over the migrant crisis in Ceuta, accusing the European nation of having no control over its borders.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday slammed Spain over the migrant crisis in Ceuta, accusing the European nation of having no control over its borders. Trump’s remarks on the matter came in a post on Truth Social.
There has been a diplomatic tussle brewing between the United States and Spain ever since the latter’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez refused to offer the Spanish bases for the war in Iran.
“So sad what is happening in Spain, a country with ZERO control of its Border. WOW!” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post. The American leader’s remarks on the matter came as Spain continued to deal with the fallout from a major migrant surge from Morocco into Ceuta. Questions remain over the role of Moroccan security forces in the episode.
It is pertinent to note that Trump had criticised its Nato ally on the matter in the past as well. While giving his comments to British television channel GB News, the American leader described what had happened in Spain as “an outrage” and warned that the consequences could extend beyond the country.
‘Spain will be ruined’
Trump insisted that the leniency would ultimately ruin Spain. “What’s happened with Spain is an outrage,” Trump told the British news outlet. “When I look at it, it’s so sad. It’s going to ruin the whole country. It’s going to ruin the system,” he added.
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The American leader further argued that the t migrants entering Spain would move onward into other European countries. “And it will destroy Europe because once they’re in Spain, they’re not going to stop in Spain,” he said. “They’re going to pour into your country and every other country, but they already are pouring into your country,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Spanish prime minister has said that there is no “solid proof” that Morocco orchestrated the migrant influx into Ceuta. According to AFP, Sanchez told parliament that no police, legal or international institution had provided the Spanish government with evidence that Morocco had planned or carried out the incident.
His remarks came right after the Spanish police report raised questions over the response by Moroccan security forces. The report obtained by AFP described the Moroccan police response as one of “total permissiveness” and said it had facilitated the rush.
It also alleged that Moroccan police numbers around the border post were “clearly smaller than usual” and that officers had made “no serious attempt” to stop the surge. However, it is pertinent to note that Morocco has denied any relaxation at the land border crossing, while its interior ministry attributed the sudden influx to the “malicious exploitation” of social media and the spread of misleading information.
With inputs from AFP.