Thirteen human rights groups have called on the Spanish government to drop plans to provide a legal basis for summary returns of migrants from its enclaves in North Africa.

The Spanish and international organizations wrote to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of migrants, François Crépeau, and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, urging them to press the Spanish government to withdraw a proposed amendment to Spain’s immigration law.

“On the spot (or “summary”) returns prevent asylum seekers from seeking the protection they need and deny all migrants a range of rights,” the groups wrote. “Sending people straight back to Morocco without any procedural safeguards is a clear breach of European and international human rights law.”

Spain’s ruling Popular Party is seeking to use an amendment on public security to introduce provisions into Spain’s immigration law that allow for rejections at the border in Ceuta and Melilla. Introducing the amendment at this stage means there will be no assessment of the human rights impact from the new amendment.

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