Spain's Ceuta migrant crisis live: Pedro Sánchez meets New York mayor Zohran Mamdani

Spanish Prime Minister **Pedro Sánchez** has held a meeting with the mayor of New York, **Zohran Mamdani**, at a time of high tension over the situation in Ceuta, where an estimated **10,000 migrants** are living in precarious conditions.

Spanish Prime Minister **Pedro Sánchez** met on Wednesday, **23 September**, with the mayor of New York, **Zohran Mamdani**. The meeting, also attended by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, **Elma Saiz**, takes place in a political context marked by the migration crisis in Ceuta. Meanwhile, other members of the government, such as First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister **Carlos Cuerpo**, and ministers **José Manuel Albares**, **Margarita Robles**, **Arcadi España** and **Fernando Grande-Marlaska**, were taking part in the plenary session of the Congress of Deputies.

## The crisis in Ceuta, a "pressure cooker"

The autonomous city of Ceuta is in a situation described as unsustainable. According to police estimates, around **10,000 migrants** are living irregularly in overcrowded flats and abandoned buildings. The president of the autonomous city, **Juan Jesús Vivas**, has expressed his concern, stating that "if Ceuta sinks, Spain sinks", and describing the city as a "pressure cooker". This statement underlines the gravity of the humanitarian and security crisis affecting the region.

The handling of the migration crisis has been the subject of political debate. ERC's spokesperson in Congress, **Gabriel Rufián**, has said that Prime Minister **Sánchez** "is starting to tell the truth" by acknowledging a "failure" at the Segarro border, although he considers the term a euphemism for what he calls an "attack" on Spain. For its part, the PSOE, through its spokesperson in Congress, **Patxi López**, has admitted that Segarro's border control "failed" with the mass entry of migrants at the end of July, but has pointed out that the neighbouring country subsequently "cooperated". López considers it obvious that an entry of thousands of people implies a border failure.

## Family reunifications and guarantees of cooperation

In parallel to the crisis in Ceuta, family reunification procedures have been carried out. A total of **54 unaccompanied minors** who arrived in the autonomous city on **30 and 31 July** have been transferred to mainland Spain to reunite with their families. According to the Ministry of Youth and Childhood, this procedure is standard when a minor is declared to be in a situation of neglect and the family tie is verified. Currently, Ceuta's Minors' Department is processing more than **300 family reunification cases** involving mainland Spain.

The Foreign Minister, **José Manuel Albares**, has said that the Segarro authorities have guaranteed Spain their cooperation to prevent a repeat of a mass entry of irregular migrants into Ceuta. This guarantee of cooperation seeks to prevent future crises similar to the one that occurred at the end of July. Interior Minister **Fernando Grande-Marlaska** has defended the government's action to restore normality in Ceuta, criticising the PP (Spain's main opposition party) for having, in his view, "forgotten" about that normality.

## Incidents in Congress

Political tension has also surfaced in the Congress of Deputies. PP lawmaker **Ana Vázquez** was expelled from the chamber by the Speaker of Congress, **Francina Armengol**, after displaying a can of pepper spray, which **Armengol** described as "a weapon". The incident highlights the differing perspectives and the climate of debate around security and immigration.