The Partido Popular has revived its Senate campaign over the Ceuta migration crisis, seeking new appearances from Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Margarita Robles and José Manuel Albares. The three ministers were summoned in August but did not attend. Their absence pushed the dispute beyond the events of 30 and 31 July, turning it into a direct confrontation over the Government’s duty to answer before the upper house.
The new requests give each minister a separate part of the crisis to address. Albares would have to explain coordination with Morocco after the mass entry and the commitments reached by both countries. Interior and Defence would face questions about security reports available before and after the events. The PP also wants answers about what it calls contradictions in the ministers’ public statements.
Figures cited by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska show that 5,321 people had voluntarily returned from Ceuta to Morocco since 10 August, while about 1,000 others remained in the return procedure.
The PP does not consider the ministers’ earlier appearances in Congress a substitute.
Alicia García, the Popular Group’s spokesperson in the Senate, says the ministers’ later explanations in the Congreso de los Diputados did not answer the request from the Cámara Alta. The party argues that an appearance before one chamber cannot replace a formal summons from the other. Its position is especially firm because the issue concerns the actions of three ministries during the same crisis.
Europa Press reports that this is the PP’s second request since the mass entry into Ceuta. The immediate focus is the arrival of migrants on 30 and 31 July, but the party also wants the commissions to examine what happened afterwards. García has tied the renewed initiative to alleged inconsistencies between the ministers and what she calls a failure to meet parliamentary obligations.
Morocco has rejected responsibility for the mass entry, saying it has not been shown evidence implicating its authorities. In its position discussed in European institutions, Rabat blamed disinformation and criminal networks for the episode, while saying it was ready to accept the return of its citizens, including minors and people from third countries.
The ministers’ earlier refusal to attend led the PP to seek an urgent precautionary measure from the Tribunal Supremo. The party asked the court to require them to appear before the Senate by the end of August. The Sala de Vacaciones rejected the request, finding that the necessary urgency had not been demonstrated to justify a decision without first hearing the opposing side.
The Supreme Court also said the ministers’ explanations would retain their value if delivered during the ordinary parliamentary session beginning on 1 September. The PP later took the matter to the Tribunal Constitucional, calling the episode unprecedented in Spain’s democratic history. Its argument relies on Article 66.2 of the Senate’s rules, which says Government members and other authorities must appear before committees.
A separate dispute concerns an internal security report. Marlaska asked the director general of the Policía, Francisco Pardo, to verify as soon as possible a document that reportedly attributes the mass entry to Moroccan security forces. The request adds another unresolved issue to the parliamentary dispute, and the report’s final status remains unclear.
The political and administrative response has done little to ease the pressure. The European Parliament has called for stronger protection of the EU’s external borders and closer Spanish-Moroccan cooperation on returns and readmission. Congress has also voted to censure Marlaska over the crisis. The minister says European institutions recognised the Government’s extraordinary work, not a management failure.
Reports from Ceuta authorities say two new facilities are being prepared to house more than 1,000 migrants who remained in the enclave after the July influx. Pressure has continued, particularly over minors and accommodation. Debate over ministerial coordination and the handling of returns has carried on beyond July and August.
The next step rests with the presidents of the three relevant committees, who will contact the ministries and set dates for the appearances. Until then, the PP’s initiative remains a formal request, not a completed hearing. Whether the Senate dispute advances or deepens depends on the Government’s decision about the ministers’ attendance.
