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VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Catholic bishops and church charity officials in Spain this week condemned the politicizing of an immigration crisis after tens of thousands of migrants recently crossed the border from Morocco to the Spanish city of Ceuta in North Africa.<\/p>\n
“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,” Archbishop Luis Argüello of Valladolid, president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, wrote in Spanish in an Aug. 2 post<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n He described the “invasion of Ceuta” as a “test,” where “demography is a weapon.”<\/p>\n A similar warning came from Bishop Xabier Gómez García<\/span>, the Spanish bishops’ point person on migration and intercultural ministry in Catalonia, Spain. In a statement, he criticized “those who use human mobility as an instrument of political pressure” and “hybrid threats.”<\/p>\n These statements came amid mounting questions<\/a> from politicians and lawmakers over whether Morocco failed to enforce appropriate border controls to pressure Spain and the European Union. The regional president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, claimed that residents believe the influx was “if not orchestrated, at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco.” Meanwhile, European Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner said the events at Ceuta highlight the fragility of Europe’s border patrol when it relies too heavily on neighboring countries.<\/p>\n Morocco has denied responsibility<\/a>, and no public evidence has established that the country orchestrated the influx.<\/p>\n Spain has had a welcoming immigration policy compared to other EU nations and in June gave over 1 million undocumented immigrants a one-year renewable work and residence permit. Some news reports suggest that widely shared social media posts<\/a> announced that the border was open and they would be welcomed in Spain.<\/p>\n