Spanish Archbishop Says Ceuta Migrant Surge Tests Demography As Weapon
By Daily Caller News Foundation (/journals/dcnf)
One of the Catholic Church’s top prelates in Spain spoke out against mass migration being used for political gain after thousands of illegal aliens stormed a Spanish city.
“Biopolitics is key in the current world power structure. Life is played with, and people—their dreams, hunger, sexuality, and data—are used in favor of profit and power,” Archbishop Luis Argüello — president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) — said in an X post Sunday. “Migration is part of this strategy. The invasion of Ceuta is a test. Demography is a weapon.”
This came after Ceuta’s president estimated that over 60,000 Moroccans swarmed the Spanish city of Ceuta on July 30. Ceuta is located on the North African coast near Gibraltar.
CEE didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. It isn’t immediately clear who Argüello was referring to regarding the “current world power structure.”
The local Catholic Church — which has provided medical, social, legal, and emergency assistance to sub-Saharan migrants for many years — is now trying to help return the invaders home, Vatican News reported Tuesday.
“This migration crisis caught us completely by surprise and prevented us from responding adequately. Ten or twenty thousand people arrived all at once,” Archbishop Emilio Rocha Grande told Vatican News. “They had no intention of staying here; they simply wanted to cross. We therefore provided the most basic assistance we could—water and food—but only within the limits of our resources.”
Up to 22 European Union countries identified Spain’s recent mass legalization of migration as a contributing factor to the crisis, World Catholic Report reported Monday.
“The images coming from Ceuta are striking and demonstrate, once again, that uncontrolled illegal immigration poses a concrete threat to the security of Europe’s borders,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an X post July 30.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called Meloni’s stance “contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together,” ABC reported Tuesday. He also reportedly claimed that Italy took in twice the amount of migrants that Spain did since 2021.
Over 80 people died trying to cross Ceuta’s breakwater barrier, according to ABC News.
However, some people appear to be celebrating the Ceuta surge.
“Spain, which never misses an opportunity to lecture Israel, has declared a state of emergency in Ceuta following the crisis over its immigration policy,” Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Danny Dannon stated in an X post July 30. “Maybe before it continues lecturing us, it’s time it explained to the world why it still maintains colonial enclaves in Africa.”
Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente fired back on X the next day, stating that “[w]ell, everything is getting to be pretty clear.”
While there is no direct evidence Israel encouraged the Moroccan surge, Spanish-Israeli relations appear to be at a historic low after Spain recognized Palestine’s sovereignty in 2024 and withdrew its ambassador to Israel in March. Meanwhile, Israeli-Moroccan relations appear to have improved since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 and after Israel recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara in 2023.
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All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.