Spain is preparing stricter asylum procedures for migrants who entered the North African enclave of Ceuta during a mass crossing from Morocco in July, according to a draft government decree seen by Reuters.
The proposed measures would speed up asylum applications and deportations for more than 10,000 migrants still in Ceuta, representing a significant change in Spain’s current migration procedures.
Under the draft decree, migrants from countries considered safe by the European Union, including Morocco, would be required to appeal rejected asylum applications from outside Spain, regardless of their individual circumstances.
The proposed rules would apply retroactively to migrants who arrived during the mass crossing on July 30 and 31. They would also allow the government to bypass the standard review of asylum applications by a commission that includes representatives of the UN refugee agency.
In addition, asylum applications could be withdrawn if applicants could not be reached for five days. Migrants considered to have behaved in a “violent or threatening” manner could also immediately lose their right to remain.
Spain’s Territorial Policy Minister, Ángel Víctor Torres, said the government was considering shortening the processing period for migrants, but acknowledged that such a move raised questions under international law.
The draft has drawn criticism from Spanish lawyers and human rights organisations. Thirteen NGOs, including the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR) and Oxfam, described the proposed measures as a serious threat to Spain’s commitments under international human rights conventions.
More than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta by land and sea during an unprecedented surge in late July, according to Reuters. The crisis has increased political pressure on Spain’s government and raised concerns across Europe about the management of migration at the bloc’s external borders.
Spain’s Interior Ministry has not commented on the draft decree.
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