Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – The Spanish government delegate in Ceuta, Salvadora Mateos, has urged domestic workers to “regulate their situation” in order to cross the Morocco-Spain border at Ceuta.
In a statement to the press on Tuesday, Mateos stated that new restrictions, which require locals to provide proof of work or residence do not violate the Schengen visa agreement which allows domestic workers and Moroccans who live less than 40 kilometers from Ceuta to enter the city without restriction.
Spanish media reported, however, that Mateos is concerned for domestic workers and nearby residents, who can now be asked for proof of work or residence when entering Ceuta.
Read Also: El Othmani, Sanchez Discuss Migration Projects, Seasonal Workers in Spain
But she explained that the move is aimed to end undocumented migration, because many cross the border with Moroccan passports and many Moroccans and Algerians enter Spain as unaccompanied foreign minors.
Mateos said that the “Smart Border,” to be installed within three months, will better manage entries and exits. With high numbers of people crossing the border, police have not been able to efficiently process them.
The Development Society of Ceuta (Procesa) estimated that 20,000 Moroccans enter the Spanish enclave every day. Only 1,314 people are registered under social security as domestic employees. Many of them made their work status regular in just the last two years.
In 2017, 197 domestic workers regularized their status, and in the first 11 months of 2018, 286 did.
