CEUTA, Spain (AP) — King Felipe VI visited Ceuta on Tuesday, expressing strong support for the city as an integral part of Spain during a time of heightened migration challenges that have affected relations with Morocco. The visit, accompanied by Queen Letizia, comes as Ceuta, with a population of 84,000, continues to deal with the aftermath of a mass crossing of nearly 80,000 migrants from Morocco in July, which resulted in at least 140 migrant deaths.
Spain's government has defended Morocco's role in facilitating the return of most of the migrants, but skepticism remains among some Spanish officials, including police and lawmakers, regarding Morocco's awareness of the mass movement. Ceuta's mayor referred to the situation as an "invasion."
In his speech, Felipe stated, "Ceuta is Spain. Therefore its frontier ... is a European border, and any threat to it is a threat to the European Union." He emphasized the importance of a healthy relationship with Morocco, which he said should be based on "good faith, trust, mutual respect and the goal of promoting stability, peace and regional security."
Large crowds welcomed the royal couple in Ceuta's central Plaza de Africa, where they received the key to the city from Juan Jesús Vivas, Ceuta's top elected official. Vivas called for the expulsion of all remaining migrants after the mass crossing, thanking the royals for their visit to boost morale.
The royal couple will stay overnight in Ceuta before continuing to Melilla, another Spanish exclave in North Africa. This marks the first visit by a Spanish monarch to these territories since Felipe's father, Juan Carlos I, visited in 2007. Morocco does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla, which have been under Spanish control for centuries.
Diplomatic observers are monitoring Morocco's response to the visit. The Moroccan Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment on the royal visit. Felipe and Letizia also paid respects at the Sidi Embarek cemetery to unidentified migrants who died in the crossing and visited a local school.
Felipe expressed sympathy for the migrants who died and called for respect for the estimated 15,000 migrants still in Ceuta. Reports indicate that many of these migrants, including minors, are living in poor conditions and some have alleged abuse by Spanish soldiers, which the government is investigating.
The ongoing presence of migrants has heightened social tensions in Ceuta and become a political issue in Spain, with opposition parties seeking to leverage migration concerns in the upcoming elections. Previous royal visits to Ceuta and Melilla have led to diplomatic tensions, including a crisis triggered by Juan Carlos' visit nearly 20 years ago.
Elma Saiz, a spokesperson for the Spanish government, stated that communication with Morocco during the migration crisis has been "fluid" and that the current visit is occurring within the context of normal relations between Spain and its territories.
Analysts, including Haizam Amirah-Fernández from the Center of Contemporary Arab Studies, suggest that Morocco was likely aware of the buildup of migrants prior to the mass crossing, which he described as an "assault" on Spain's sovereignty. A Spanish Defense Ministry intelligence report indicated that Moroccan forces were passive during the migrant influx.
Amirah-Fernández noted that the royal visit signifies a shift in Spain's approach to its exclaves, which have historically been overlooked by Spanish monarchs due to concerns about diplomatic relations with Morocco. He stated, "The message is clear to all parties, to the population of Ceuta, to the population of Spain, to the European Union, to the international community and to the southern neighbor, who allowed for this assault to happen."