The National Police warned on July 27, three days before the avalanche of more than 80,000 migrants from Morocco to Spain occurred, that in the previous 20 days there was a “massive entry by swimming” of people illegally crossing the border between the two countries, according to one of the reports declassified by the Government this Wednesday.
The document, specifically, certifies how within the National Police a “relevant facts communication form” was produced: the fact itself was that since the Supreme Court ruling limiting the possibility of hot returns, made public on July 8, a “massive entry by swimming” was taking place.
The relevant facts communication was lodged, as is done regularly with these documents, in the National Communications Center, controlled by the Ministry of the Interior. The formulation of “massive entry” contrasts with what has been repeatedly defended by the minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who has assured that the dimension of the avalanche coming to the border was unknown, where the same device as on a normal day was waiting for the migrants.
This note was made by the Police at 12:30 p.m. Almost half an hour earlier, the CNI itself had also warned of the danger looming around the border area.
The Police, specifically, made in their relevant facts form a count of arrivals by swimming from the other side of the border since the Supreme Court ruling was made public on the previous July 8. In just 20 days, 748 people had arrived, adding to the 492 adults who were already staying at the Temporary Stay Center for Foreigners (CETI), which was thus overcrowded with 1,240 occupants.
According to police sources, the relevant facts notes sent to the National Communications Center must then be forwarded, depending on the severity of the facts contained therein, to other branches of the Interior Ministry, from the General Directorate of Police to the State Secretariat for Security.
It is not recorded either in the document or on the declassification website if that note was sent to other instances neither of the National Police Corps, nor of the Ministry, nor shared with other institutions responsible for defending the territorial integrity of the country, such as the Civil Guard or the Army.
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