Spanish bishops’ president: ‘The invasion of Ceuta is a test. Demography is a weapon’

The president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym), Archbishop Luis Argüello, stated that “the invasion of Ceuta is a test. Demography is a weapon,” referring to the crisis in recent days caused by the massive illegal entry of migrants into the Spanish city located on the African coast — a situation Pope Leo XIV has also described as “alarming.”

In an Aug. 2 message shared on X, Argüello declared: “Biopolitics is key to current global power. Life is toyed with, and people — their dreams, hunger, sexuality, and data — are exploited for the sake of profit and power.”

“Migration is part of this strategy. The invasion of Ceuta is a test. Demography is a weapon,” the prelate added. Since July 31, the Spanish city of Ceuta — located on the African coast of the Strait of Gibraltar — has been facing an extremely grave situation following the illegal entry of some 60,000 people who swam from Morocco, skirting the Tarajal breakwater.

As a result, at least 72 people are believed to have lost their lives during the crossing, though the death toll is estimated to potentially exceed 100. While it is estimated that the majority of those who crossed the border irregularly have returned to Morocco, around 5,000 people still remain on the streets of the autonomous city.

Up to 22 European Union countries have pointed to the recent mass legalization of immigrants carried out in Spain — and backed by the Catholic Church — as a contributing factor to the current migration crisis.

Meanwhile, a recent Spanish court ruling invalidated the practice of so-called “hot returns” (immediate, summary expulsions) in cases where illegal entry into the country was made by swimming, as occurred on July 31.

The bishop of Sant Feliú de Llobregat, the Dominican Xabier Gómez — speaking in his capacity as the official responsible for Migration and Interculturality for the Tarraconense Episcopal Conference — stated in a reflection that “we are not facing an ordinary migration crisis.”

The “terrible and very real human drama” that unfolded has benefited neither those who took to the sea risking their lives nor the citizens of Ceuta, who “have the right to live in safety, free from alarm, and in peaceful coexistence.”

However, it has served the interests of “those who use human mobility as a tool for political pressure, those seeking to strain diplomatic relations through potential ‘hybrid threats,’ those who play on public fear, and those who turn the suffering of others and fear into electoral gain.”

After ruling out the recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling or the regulatory process as the root causes of the situation, Gómez recalled the words of Pope Leo XIV regarding the migration issue — spoken during his recent trip to Spain, which included a visit to the Canary Islands, a region that has also been heavily impacted by the mass migration phenomenon.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.