Spain's Push to Clear Ceuta Migrant Backlog Raises Rights Concerns
MADRID — Nearly three months after a chaotic mass border crossing on July 30, thousands of migrants remain in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. Reuters reported on October 19 that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government is working on shortcuts for asylum applications, intending to send most people back to Morocco on the basis that they are economic migrants rather than genuine asylum seekers — a plan NGOs fear risks violating migrants' rights. Sanchez said this week Spain was managing the cases 'responsibly, with a sense of solidarity and respecting migrants' human rights'. Among those waiting is Fatna, 21, whose newborn daughter has kidney problems and who needs a permit to reach mainland Spain for specialist hospital treatment while her asylum claim is reviewed. Spain holds a snap election on November 29, with migration among the campaign's central issues.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 马德里王宫 / Royal Palace of Madrid。图片：© Carlos Delgado / CC BY-SA 3.0，Wikimedia Commons
