The Spanish representative in Ceuta resigned after the invasion of Ceuta by thousands of illegal Moroccan immigrants

The Spanish government's representative in Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, submitted his resignation on Monday citing personal reasons, after several weeks of intense questioning regarding his management during the massive arrival of migrants to this Spanish enclave in North Africa.

The resignation came after a border crisis that began in late July, when more than 72,000 migrants flooded into Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming the capacity of reception centers and generating intense political debate about Spain's migration management and the security of one of the two land borders of the European Union located in Africa.

Although most of the immigrants later left the enclave, thousands still remain in Ceuta. The episode has also increased political pressure on the government of communist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who faces criticism for his response to the emergency and for the coordination among Spanish authorities responsible for managing the border.

Pérez Triano, who was in charge of coordinating between the Ceuta government, state institutions, and security forces, defended his actions during the crisis. However, he explained that the level of pressure and scrutiny afterward, combined with what he described as a campaign of harassment against him and his family, made his continued presence in the position unsustainable.

''My family does not deserve for me to stay any longer,'' the official stated, explaining his decision. Pérez Triano claimed to have received insults and threats and recounted that even someone left a funeral wreath in front of his office, an episode he described as part of the pressure he had endured over the past weeks.

The official also rejected criticisms related to the coordination of the border response and clarified that the government delegation he led did not have operational control over the border or the security forces. According to his explanation, there was also no prior information that would allow anticipating that the number of people attempting to enter Ceuta would reach such a magnitude.

The Madrid government has maintained a similar position regarding the scale of the crisis. Spanish authorities acknowledged that they had received alerts about possible attempts to cross the border from Morocco, but insisted that none of those warnings allowed for predicting a massive entry of the scale ultimately recorded.

The magnitude of the episode has also prompted a judicial investigation. The High Court of Justice of Spain is conducting an investigation into the events and plans to hear this week the testimony of Pérez Triano's former chief of staff, as part of the proceedings aimed at determining how the institutional response unfolded in the face of the massive arrival of migrants.

While the investigation continues, the Spanish communist government is trying to manage the consequences of a crisis that has once again placed migration and border security at the center of political discussion. Ceuta, along with Melilla, constitutes one of the main land entry points into European Union territory from Africa and periodically faces attempts at irregular entry.

The Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, estimated on Monday in statements that up to 3,500 migrants still remain in Ceuta outside of reception centers. The figure reflects the pressure that the enclave continues to endure despite the situation having reduced from the most critical moment of the crisis.