Rabat \u2013 Spain\u2019s opposition leader Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o has pledged to strengthen Ceuta\u2019s border defenses, review Spain\u2019s policy toward Morocco, and invest \u20ac650 million ($758 million) in the Spanish-occupied enclave if his Popular Party comes to power.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Ceuta<\/a> on Wednesday alongside the city\u2019s president, Juan Jes\u00fas Vivas, Feij\u00f3o presented a seven-point plan focused on border security, migration, and economic development.<\/p>\n Feij\u00f3o accused Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez\u2019s government of maintaining \u201csecret diplomacy\u201d with Rabat and relying too heavily on Morocco to manage Spain\u2019s southern border.<\/p>\n \u201cSpain does not seek enemies, does not seek conflicts, does not threaten anyone. But Spain will not accept threats or blackmail,\u201d Feij\u00f3o said.<\/p>\n He said Spain should maintain good relations with Morocco but insisted that its territorial integrity must not be questioned in Ceuta, Melilla, or Spanish waters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Spanish nature of Ceuta and Melilla is not negotiable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Stronger border<\/p>\n Feij\u00f3o proposed increasing personnel and surveillance technology at the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, as well as introducing permanent maritime and coastal monitoring systems.<\/p>\n He also called for a continuous Frontex presence and criticized the floating barrier currently used in Ceuta. \u201cA buoy is not a border,\u201d Feij\u00f3o said, arguing that the border must be \u201cinviolable.\u201d<\/p>\n His plan would extend the border infrastructure farther into the sea, starting from the Tarajal breakwater, where migrants entered Ceuta on July 30.<\/p>\n The proposal revives a 2014 plan presented by then-Interior Minister Jorge Fern\u00e1ndez D\u00edaz to extend the maritime border by 45 meters into the sea.<\/p>\n Migration and minors<\/p>\n Feij\u00f3o also opposed the planned transfer of around 500 migrant girls from Ceuta to mainland Spain.<\/p>\n He said migrants who entered the enclave on July 30 and 31 should return to their countries or to the authorities responsible for their care. He questioned the government\u2019s decision to transfer the minors and called for greater attention to Ceuta\u2019s residents.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about the girls who were born in Ceuta, live in Ceuta, and are Spanish citizens? Who protects them?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Feij\u00f3o also called for changes to immigration and asylum laws, including allowing border rejections for people arriving by sea.<\/p>\n The political response to the recent migration crisis in Ceuta has highlighted the growing role of migration and Morocco in Spain\u2019s right-wing discourse<\/a>. Calls for tougher border controls and criticism of Rabat have provided political parties on the right with an opportunity to present themselves as defenders of Spain\u2019s territorial integrity and security, while appealing to voters concerned about irregular migration.\u00a0<\/p>\n