Spain plans to tighten asylum rules in Ceuta — Jerusalem Post
Spain plans to introduce stricter rules for asylum seekers who arrived in its North African enclave of Ceuta during a mass border crossing at the end of July. A draft decree provides for a departure from standard migration procedures in order to speed up the review of applications and the deportation of more than 10,000 migrants who remain in the enclave, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Appeals from outside Spain
Under the draft, first published by the Spanish outlet El País and not yet officially confirmed, migrants whose asylum applications are denied would have to file appeals from outside Spain if the European Union considers their country of residence safe. The report notes that Morocco has this status, regardless of the applicant's personal circumstances.
The decree could also apply retroactively to people who arrived after the mass border crossing on July 30 and 31. It would allow the government to bypass the standard review of applications by a commission that includes representatives of the UN refugee agency.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Government and human rights groups react
The draft provides that an asylum application would be withdrawn if the applicant is unavailable for five days. People whose behavior is deemed violent or threatening may immediately lose the right to remain in the country.
Spain's Minister of Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres said the government is analyzing the possibility of legislative changes to shorten the time needed to review cases, but called the move complicated because of issues of international law. Spain's Interior Ministry did not comment on the draft. Thirteen non-governmental organizations, including the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid and Oxfam, said the proposed measures pose a serious threat to Spain's compliance with human rights conventions.
At the end of July, more than 70,000 people illegally crossed the border from Morocco into Ceuta by land and sea.
