Agadir – Spain’s government has approved a new command to coordinate its response to the migrants’ return from Ceuta, following the mass crossings at the end of July. 

According to the Spanish media, the decision was adopted today following a meeting of Spain’s National Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Government spokesperson and Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz said the new structure would establish a “functional authority” to strengthen coordination among the various institutions involved in managing the crisis.

The single command will operate through a specialized committee comprising Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas, the Government Delegation in the city, the National Intelligence Center (CNI), the Department of National Security, and representatives from 11 ministries involved in the response.

Spain’s Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory Ángel Víctor Torres, in charge of the operation, said the government’s response would now enter a second phase, with the priority shifting toward the “return and repatriation” of migrants who remain in Ceuta.

According to Torres, between 90% and 95% of the more than 70,000 migrants who entered the city on July 30 and 31 returned to Morocco within 24 to 48 hours. 

The minister said the government aims to return and repatriate as many people as possible, including adults and minors, while respecting Spanish law and migrants’ rights.

This response by the Spanish government has been described by some international media outlets as delayed, with reports claiming that Sánchez did not address the situation until after his summer vacation.

The lack of an immediate response, coupled with inadequate access to basic necessities, reportedly left many migrants vulnerable to difficult conditions and potential abuse.

Morocco has repeatedly communicated with Spain regarding the return of migrants to Morocco. However, Morocco’s Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, has said that Spain did not initially show an intention to cooperate on the matter.