The Partido Popular (PP) has announced a new Senate offensive, seeking the formal censure of five government ministers over their handling of the migrant crisis in Ceuta and failure to appear before the upper chamber. The ministers targeted are responsible for Interior, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Health and Equality. The PP is using its absolute majority in the Senate to intensify scrutiny of the government’s response to the Spanish autonomous city.
The dispute follows the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta on 30 and 31 July 2026, an episode involving thousands of people that Ángel Víctor Torres, Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory and the government’s designated lead for the crisis, described as “absolutely unpredictable.” In an interview on Salvados, Torres also called the period “tremendous hours.” He said reuniting unaccompanied minors with their families in Morocco was a government priority. Meanwhile, arguments over reception and transfers intensified, alongside disputes over border management and the division of responsibilities between Madrid and Ceuta.
PP Senate spokesperson Alicia García framed the censure initiative as a response to what she described as a lack of accountability and transparency from the executive. She said the ministers had failed to attend Senate hearings intended to clarify their roles and actions during the crisis. The government, meanwhile, has defended its “intense work” and cooperation with Ceuta’s administration, led by Juan Jesús Vivas.
The party is using the Senate as its basic platform for opposition, including during the summer, when political activity often slows. García has cited 17 ministerial censures by the PP during the legislative term, along with seven investigative commissions. She also pointed to 15 appeals or conflicts before the Constitutional Court and 42 laws pending in the Senate. The proposed five additional censures over Ceuta would add to that campaign. The PP has also pursued an investigative commission into the border influx, which could become the legislature’s eighth, and challenged ministers’ non-appearance through a dispute raised in September 2026. García has described the Senate as an institution that “does not stay silent.”
The ministers singled out include Fernando Grande-Marlaska (Interior), whom the PP criticized for insufficient police reinforcement at the border; José Manuel Albares (Foreign Affairs), over relations with Morocco; and Margarita Robles (Defence), over her Senate appearances. Mónica García (Health) was questioned over comments concerning the safety of girls in Ceuta. Ana Redondo (Equality) was criticized for not visiting the city and for statements about women’s security amid reports of rising sexual assaults. Robles has defended Ceuta and Melilla as “the best of Spain” and referred complaints alleging mistreatment of migrants to the Fiscalía.
The dispute extends beyond parliamentary scrutiny. Ceuta’s authorities have taken their allegation of state inaction to Spain’s Supreme Court, seeking accountability for what they describe as inadequate processing of migrants’ files, including return procedures. On 20 October, the PP’s Ceuta organization said no returns had been completed through case files opened after the July events. The party has tied that figure to demands for political accountability and formal returns under applicable procedures, as well as stronger border protection.
The PP has also said it registered a reform of Spain’s Immigration Law on 16 July 2026 concerning irregular entries by swimming near the breakwaters. It accused the PSOE of opposing the Senate’s consideration of the proposal. Separately, the government has established a centralized command structure for the Ceuta response, led by Torres, with a reported plan to declare a “situation of interest for national security.” The response has included migrant transfers and judicial coordination, alongside administrative processing. Torres has called for “justice and obligatory solidarity” in distributing unaccompanied minors among Spain’s autonomous communities.
Government representatives have said the ministers, along with others including Félix Bolaños (Presidency), will address the Ceuta crisis in the Congress of Deputies starting next week. The executive argues that Congress is the primary chamber for government oversight, a position the PP disputes as it accelerates its Senate agenda. García has also indicated that the party is considering legal action over the ministers’ failure to appear.
This escalation follows months of criticism over the government’s management of migration in Ceuta. As previously reported in related coverage, police unions, the judiciary and European institutions have called for urgent action and increased resources. The PP’s latest move shows how the political divide over the crisis is deepening, with parliamentary oversight also at issue as the party seeks to hold ministers to account.
Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, has long been a focal point for migration from Morocco and beyond. The July arrivals have put local services under pressure and heightened political tensions in Madrid. The Senate dispute is part of a broader debate over migration policy and border security, as well as the responsibilities of national institutions during a crisis. The government’s handling of migrant reception and transfers remains contested by the PP.
