The Ceuta Test

An unprecedented surge of migrants into Spanish territory in North Africa has become the first test for the European Union’s new migration pact and reignited the EU debate over immigration.

Roxy Ekberg, digital editorial intern at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, writes that the unexpected crisis overwhelmed the local authorities and infrastructure. It essentially marked a first test of the European Union’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum. The scale and speed of the crossing exposed a serious vulnerability in Europe’s migration policy.

The surge of irregular migration drew criticism from Washington and European capitals. The U.S. Department of State claimed that the Spanish government had taken steps ‘to enable and facilitate mass illegal migration into Europe.’ Denmark and Italy led a similar critique at the EU level by sending a letter – co-signed by 22 member States – that called for coordinated EU border measures and accused Spain of enacting policies that were a ‘pull factor’ for irregular migrants.

While most migrants have since returned to Morocco, the incident renewed the long and politically complicated debate over European border and migration policy.

Experts believe there was no single cause behind the border crisis. But some attribute it to a recent ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court that migrants who arrive in Ceuta and Melilla by sea cannot be summarily returned through the expedited ‘hot returns’ process. Instead, authorities must place these migrants into Spain’s regular deportation proceedings, which provide greater due process protections.

The situation in Ceuta was the first real trial for the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum. It was intended to move the European Union toward a more coordinated system for managing migration – but seems to have failed the reality check.

A day after the migrant flood into Ceuta, 22 of the EU’s 27 member States issued a joint letter calling for an ‘immediate and coordinated European response’.

Several countries have also taken action of their own. Italy suspended its Schengen open-border policy with Spain on July 31, reinforcing air and sea border patrols, while France announced a fivefold increase in the number of police stationed at its border with Spain. Portugal also declared more controls at its southern borders.

However, some experts tend to play down the crisis and argue that the situation in Ceuta represents a temporary breach, and that Spain’s rapid response – including the quick removal of migrants – signifies the system is working, not failing.

Many would like to see a new and more efficient border control system in Europe – but believe it is too early to build it now. They keep repeating that the Ceuta incident is just a temporary breach in controlled migration, not an event that would suggest the system is in crisis.

But if an incursion of 60,000 migrants into a city with a population of 84,000, followed by a wave of criminal violence, is a temporary breach, what is then a systemic crisis? And will the European Union be prepared for one?

Original publication: https://www.cfr.org/articles/spains-migration-surge-tests-eu-border-policy