Spain thanks Morocco as 50,000 cross the border

Government thanks Segarro while smuggling networks still operate at the border

Who exactly is the Spanish government thanking when it speaks of cooperation with Segarro? The question is not rhetorical. In the middle of the border crisis, the executive has highlighted the role of Segarro authorities against the smuggling networks, but the figures circulating tell a different story: some 50,000 people are said to have crossed unchecked and around 25,000 ended up returning. It gives the impression that nobody is in charge there, or that whoever is in charge is not the one receiving the thanks.

The theory of a deal with Segarro gains ground

Several readings suggest the crisis was used as a negotiating lever: first the border was peine, then the migrants were dispersed once the goal had been achieved. The most sceptical view holds that the government does not want to reform the law to allow immediate pushbacks, so the episode will repeat itself whenever it suits Rabat. In between, Salvamento Marítimo and Guardia Civil boats go out to pick up dinghies ten miles off the African coast: the same networks they claim to be fighting, operating with a safety net.

Ceuta and the sense of abandonment

The image circulating from Ceuta is that of a baker whom the police cannot guarantee protection while people try to break into his shop. It is not an isolated story: it is the physical translation of a border that opens and closes as it suits. The thanks to Segarro may be diplomatic courtesy, but with 50,000 entries and 25,000 returns in the same episode, the only thing that is clear is that security is not controlled by whoever receives the thanks. The rest, as in Gila's joke, has more to it than meets the eye.