Tens of thousands of migrants crossed the Moroccan border with Spanish Ceuta within 2 days. Spain has directed troops to the site, and according to the authorities, at least 67 people died during crossings and force to the border. This crisis shows the price of losing control: it is paid by residents, services and migrants themselves.
Tens of thousands at the border
On Thursday and Friday, 50 to 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa. any people tried to cross the border by land, others chose a dangerous road through the water. The Spanish government reported at least 67 fatalities on Saturday. any drowned, others died in a tight place at the breakwater.
It's a tragedy that can't be brought to images that drive political unrest. People's deaths require seriousness. It besides requires a fair indication of the work for the system, which allows the state border to cease to fulfil its basic function in a short time.
Spain directed soldiers and Guardia civilian officers to Ceuta. On Saturday, a 500-metre-long barrier was installed at the maritime border with Morocco. As reported by [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/migration-spain-ceuta-morocco-d76c6dc9d2da828907a1c04e1d482bbe), most of the arrived shortly returned to Morocco. The Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska argued that the situation was reversed within 24 hours thanks to the cooperation of both countries.
Ceuta and State responsibility
Ceuta lies on the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar and forms the external border of the European Union. However, it does not belong to the Schengen area. Individuals travelling from there to continental Spain or another countries of the region are subject to separate checks. This item is important, due to the fact that any European politicians have presented events as if tens of thousands of people immediately gained free access to Europe as a whole. That's not what happened.
This does not change the fundamental assessment. The State has a work to defender the border effectively and with respect for human dignity. erstwhile control disappears, the hazard of death, chaos, smuggling and overloading of services and local infrastructure increases. The people of Ceuta have the right to safety. Migrants must not be encouraged to go on an expedition that ends in a fight for food, a place under the open air, or death in the water.
Madrid's dispute with Rome
The crisis sparked a sharp dispute between Spain and Italy. The government of Giorgia Meloni restored controls on travellers arriving from Spain by air and sea, primarily targeting citizens of countries outside the European Union. The Madrid authorities considered this reaction illegal and politically motivated.
Rome has the right to request the hard protection of European borders. Each country is liable for the safety of its citizens. However, measures must correspond to the actual threat and procedures in force. Ceuta is not in the Schengen area, most migrants returned to Morocco, and according to EU migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, no of these people entered the continental part of the Union at the time. Border control cannot be a theatre. It must work where the force actually exists.
The leaders of 21 EU countries, including Poland, called for an urgent gathering of Home Ministers. They indicated the hazard of uncontrolled overruns, instrumental usage of migration and hybrid threats. This is the right direction, provided that the next video conference is followed by real decisions: the protection of the external borders, the smooth return of persons without a right of residence and the impact on smuggling networks.
Lesson for Poland
For Poland, the Ceuta case is not a distant Mediterranean dispute. Our country knows the migratory pressures organised on the border with Belarus. He besides knows that the border becomes the goal of trial erstwhile an opponent or smuggler sees weakness, competence chaos, and political fear of making decisions.
Europe needs cooperation from countries, but work must not be blurred in Brussels bureaucracy. The sovereign state must hold its own territory. Poland should learn a simple lesson from Ceuta: a tight line, prepared services and clear law defend citizens and at the same time limit the tragedies of people utilized by smugglers. Humanity without order ends with helplessness. Order without dignity would be a denial of our civilization. We request both.
Source: Interia Events
