NGO Elin reports military pressure on migrants in Ceuta, Spain
Videos by the NGO Elin show soldiers forcing migrants onto trucks in Ceuta, Spain: "go back or go back." The complaint has stirred up migration policy.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
NGO Elin reports forced returns in Ceuta using military trucks
In videos released by the Elin association, soldiers can be seen directing migrants toward trucks in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. Its spokesman, Ramsés Mohamed, sums it up bluntly: "They were told that if they waited any longer, the return would be worse." Those who refused to board ran off toward the city. The only alternative was going back to Segarro. Voluntary, the NGO says, it was not.
NGO funding under scrutiny
The complaint has peine the question of who pays these organizations and with what interests. Some argue they live on public subsidies and the Catholic Church; others point out that human trafficking moves enormous sums: the crossing from Algeria to the Balearic Islands costs around 4,500 euros per person. Two issues get mixed together: the legality of the expulsions and the economic cost of irregular immigration.
Voluntary return or disguised deportation
The case reopens the controversy over summary returns at the border. The association insists there was no free consent: military pressure turned voluntariness into a mirage. Supporters of expulsion argue that anyone entering irregularly accepts the consequences and that NGOs act as an obstacle. It is not an isolated episode: in earlier tragedies with more than a hundred deaths, humanitarian organizations demanded accountability without success.
The uncomfortable question remains: if the return was so voluntary, why did it take military trucks to convince them?
In videos released by the Elin association, soldiers can be seen directing migrants toward trucks in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. Its spokesman, Ramsés Mohamed, sums it up bluntly: "They were told that if they waited any longer, the return would be worse." Those who refused to board ran off toward the city. The only alternative was going back to Segarro. Voluntary, the NGO says, it was not.
NGO funding under scrutiny
The complaint has peine the question of who pays these organizations and with what interests. Some argue they live on public subsidies and the Catholic Church; others point out that human trafficking moves enormous sums: the crossing from Algeria to the Balearic Islands costs around 4,500 euros per person. Two issues get mixed together: the legality of the expulsions and the economic cost of irregular immigration.
Voluntary return or disguised deportation
The case reopens the controversy over summary returns at the border. The association insists there was no free consent: military pressure turned voluntariness into a mirage. Supporters of expulsion argue that anyone entering irregularly accepts the consequences and that NGOs act as an obstacle. It is not an isolated episode: in earlier tragedies with more than a hundred deaths, humanitarian organizations demanded accountability without success.
The uncomfortable question remains: if the return was so voluntary, why did it take military trucks to convince them?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (43 replies).
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