Lorraine Williamson
Spain has asked the European Union for additional help dealing with the aftermath of the mass arrivals in Ceuta, requesting support from Frontex, Europol, and the EU Agency for Asylum.
The move comes almost a month after tens of thousands of people crossed into the Spanish city from Morocco, with the government now shifting its focus towards identifying those who remain, processing individual cases and strengthening the border for the future.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent the request to the European Commission after Brussels offered assistance from EU agencies on 21 August. Spain wants the agencies to reinforce the triaje, or screening, operation and subsequent processing of people who remain irregularly in Ceuta.
The request includes ten additional Frontex officers to help gather information from people who entered on 30 and 31 July and have not yet completed the screening process. Spain also wants the current Frontex Minerva operation, which covers Ceuta and the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa during Operación Paso del Estrecho, extended beyond its scheduled end on 2 September for as long as necessary.
EU asylum agency could help interview migrants
Madrid is asking the EU Agency for Asylum to assist with interviews and interpreters. Because of limited space in Ceuta, some of this work could be carried out remotely.
Once screening and any border asylum procedures have been completed, the government says it will determine what further Frontex assistance may be required to carry out returns through mechanisms and agreements the European agency has with countries of origin.
Spain is also asking for the Guardia Civil’s ocean-going vessel Duque de Ahumada, which operates for part of the year under Frontex, to remain in Spanish waters during 2027. Madrid wants continued access to Frontex’s EUROSUR satellite services for monitoring maritime areas, ports, coastlines and the border with Morocco.
Europol’s role would be different. The government wants to deepen cooperation between the European agency and Spain’s security forces, particularly in investigations into migrant-smuggling networks and strategic intelligence.
Around 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta, says Interior
The request for European assistance came on the same day Grande-Marlaska appeared before an extraordinary meeting of the Spanish Congress’s Interior Committee.
The minister said around 72,000 people entered Ceuta irregularly on 30 and 31 July, with the majority returning voluntarily to Morocco. Interior currently estimates that approximately 5,000 migrants remain in the city, including around 1,500 minors. Opposition parties have disputed the government’s estimate of how many people remain.
The 1,500 figure is particularly important because police this week corrected an earlier count of 2,168 minors after identifying duplicate administrative records.
More than 1,600 Policía Nacional and Guardia Civil officers are currently deployed in Ceuta, supported by the armed forces, according to the Interior Minister.
Permanent changes planned for Ceuta border
The government’s response is also moving beyond the immediate emergency.
Grande-Marlaska announced plans for permanent measures designed to strengthen Ceuta’s border, including extensions to the Tarajal and Benzú breakwaters, a maritime containment system using anchored buoys and increased aerial surveillance using drones.
The plans also include light intervention boats and remotely operated underwater equipment. The government is seeking European funding towards an investment of €35.6 million for the extensions to the two border breakwaters and other structural measures.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also chaired a meeting of the government’s specialised Ceuta committee at Moncloa on Friday morning. Eleven ministers were involved, either in person or remotely, as the government coordinates its response across security, foreign affairs, health, education, equality, migration and child protection.
Spain also seeks more than €32 million in emergency EU funding
The latest request follows an application made by Spain on 24 August for more than €32 million in emergency European funding from the EU’s asylum, migration and border-management funds.
Madrid says it is awaiting a decision on that application while dealing with the thousands of individual cases still requiring assessment in Ceuta.
The emphasis is therefore beginning to change. The immediate mass crossing may have ended weeks ago, but Spain now faces the longer process of determining who can remain, arranging lawful returns where applicable, caring for unaccompanied children and addressing weaknesses exposed at one of the EU’s external borders.
The request for European personnel and resources makes the next stage increasingly an EU issue as well as a Spanish one, while the permanent infrastructure proposals suggest Madrid expects the consequences of July’s events to influence border policy long after the immediate crisis has passed.