MICHAL: MADRID ENCOURAGED ILLEGAL MIGRATION

TALIN, AUGUST 3 /SRNA/ - Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that Spain’s amnesty program created an incentive for illegal migration.

Michal told Politico that Europe cannot allow large-scale illegal entry into the EU.

In April, the Spanish Government amended immigration laws, allowing half a million illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East to apply for legal status in Europe, which the media described as an "immigration amnesty."

At the end of July, Spain's enclave of Ceuta in North Africa faced a mass influx of migrants from neighbouring Morocco, after which Spain deployed additional police and military forces to the area in an effort to prevent illegal crossings.

Ceuta Mayor Juan Jesús Vivas announced on July 31 that approximately 60,000 people had entered the city within 24 hours. The city has a population of around 85,000.