Rabat – Spain has asked the European Union for additional support to manage migrants who remain in Ceuta after the July 30 and 31 mass crossing.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent a letter to Beate Gminder, the European Commission’s director-general for Migration and Home Affairs, requesting assistance from several EU agencies, EFE reported.
Madrid wants the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), and Europol to strengthen efforts to identify and process migrants who are still in Ceuta irregularly.
The government has specifically requested 10 additional Frontex officers to help with the initial screening, or “triage,” of migrants who have not yet gone through the process. The aim is to speed up the collection of information and the processing of individual cases.
Spain also asked the EUAA to help conduct interviews and provide interpreters. Due to limited space in Ceuta, some of this work could be carried out remotely.
Once the screening and, where applicable, border asylum procedures are completed, Spain will determine what additional Frontex support is needed for returns. The agency could assist through its agreements and cooperation mechanisms with migrants’ countries of origin.
Spain seeks longer Frontex operation
Madrid has also asked Frontex to extend its Operation Minerva, which covers the ports of Algeciras, Tarifa, and Ceuta during Spain’s annual Strait of Gibraltar migration and travel operation.
The operation is currently scheduled to run until September 2, but Spain wants it extended for as long as possible.
Marlaska also asked for the continued presence in Spanish waters in 2027 of the Guardia Civil’s offshore patrol vessel Duque de Ahumada, which operates under Frontex for six months each year.
The minister further requested the continuation of Frontex’s EUROSUR Fusion Services, which provide satellite imagery to monitor maritime areas, ports, coastlines, and areas near Spain’s border with Morocco.
Regarding Europol, Spain wants to deepen existing cooperation with its security forces, particularly in investigating migrant-smuggling networks and conducting strategic analysis.
The request comes after Spain sought more than €32 million ($37.8 million) in emergency EU funding on August 24 to help manage the migration situation.
Government defends aid groups
Meanwhile, Spanish Inclusion Minister Elma Saiz called for aid organizations to be allowed to work safely in Ceuta.
Her comments came after protesters blocked a Red Cross truck from reaching Trampolín beach on Thursday for more than two hours while the organization was delivering food to migrants.
Saiz commended Red Cross staff and volunteers, describing them as “our hands on the ground,” and said the incident did not reflect the solidarity and responsible behavior of Ceuta’s society.
Opposition Popular Party lawmaker Sofía Acedo, however, accused the government of failing to respond adequately to the situation. She called the July 30-31 mass entry a “national security crisis” and urged authorities to return all migrants, including minors, to Morocco individually and with legal guarantees.
