Marlaska says Spain has returned 2,700 people to Morocco

 Marlaska says Spain has returned 2,700 people to Morocco.

Following the Council of Ministers, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska reported that Spain has already returned 2,700 people to Morocco, out of a total of over 6,000 who have arrived in Ceuta since Monday. Marlaska has vowed to take “all necessary measures” to end the migrant crisis, and has stated that none of the estimated 1,500 minors who have arrived has been returned.

According to Efe, security forces are returning a large number of minors this morning. The army is stationed on Ceuta’s Tarajal beach this morning, where it is attempting to contain the arrival of hundreds of people on the Moroccan side. Hundreds of refugees are now swimming in, some of whom are showing signs of hypothermia.

The government has been put on high alert. In a message posted on Twitter, President Pedro Sánchez, who has cancelled a scheduled trip to France today and will make an institutional declaration in the morning, said that Spain “will protect the dignity” of Ceuta “in the face of any threat.” Pablo Casado, the PP’s leader, has urged the government to act, saying, “The government must ensure that our flag continues to fly in Ceuta as it has for 600 years.”

Juan Jess Vivas, the president of Ceuta, declared the situation a “state of emergency” and described the huge influx as a “invasion.” Ylva Johansson, the Swedish Socialist European Commissioner for Home Affairs, reminded Morocco that the Ceuta border belongs to the EU and urged Morocco to monitor the flow of migrants from Brussels.

As reported by El Pais