Spanish columnist Francisco Marhuenda criticized the European Union's handling of an attempted mass crossing of Moroccan migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, in an opinion piece published August 4, 2026.
Marhuenda wrote that 72,000 Moroccans had attempted the crossing and that 75 people had died so far. He said the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, believes the EU passed the test because the migrants were unable to access the Schengen area and border security was resolved quickly, a view Marhuenda called mistaken.
Criticism of Brunner and Marlaska
Marhuenda dismissed Brunner as a mediocre Austrian politician and said the role of European commissioner amounts to a reward for loyalty to a party leader rather than a mark of competence. He wrote that Brunner failed to recognize that the crossing attempt ended only when the King of Morocco gave the order to retreat.
Marhuenda said Spain's own contribution to resolving the crisis was nonexistent, and accused Marlaska of incompetence and of lying about Spain's intelligence agency, the CNI. He contrasted Marlaska unfavorably with Robles, whom he described as a serious and rigorous jurist with a genuine vision for the state.
Sánchez and Conde-Pumpido
Marhuenda wrote that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, vacationing at La Mareta, was unlikely to be troubled by the crisis because Marlaska serves as a convenient lightning rod for the government, whose main concern is keeping his ministerial post rather than returning to the Audiencia Nacional court. Marhuenda noted Marlaska's unpopularity, comparing it to that of Constitutional Court president Conde-Pumpido, whom he called disastrous.
Migrants remaining in Ceuta
Marhuenda said another consequence of the crossing attempt was that a significant number of migrants chose to stay in Ceuta. He acknowledged the figure was not the full 72,000, but said several thousand remained, causing problems in the city.
