Rabat – The Spanish government is preparing a decree-law aimed at shortening administrative and judicial procedures for migrants who remain in Ceuta following the mass arrival of migrants in July, with the measure expected to accelerate returns to Morocco.
According to El País, the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is preparing a text that could be presented to the Council of Ministers next Tuesday. The proposed measure would shorten appeal periods and prioritize certain international protection cases, allowing authorities to move more quickly with the return of people whose asylum applications have been rejected.
The initiative comes nearly two months after the mass arrival in Ceuta, when tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish-administered enclave from Morocco.
Spanish authorities have since accelerated the processing of migrants’ cases, while those who remain in Ceuta continue to undergo identification and administrative procedures to determine their legal status.
Spain seeks faster asylum decisions
The proposed decree-law would focus in particular on reducing the time required to process international protection requests.
Under the planned procedure, certain cases would receive priority, while appeal deadlines could be shortened. The objective is to prevent asylum procedures from delaying returns for months once an application has been rejected.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that only around 1% of international protection applications submitted by Moroccan nationals are ultimately approved, citing government figures.
The minister has previously said that people who do not meet the requirements for international protection will be subject to return procedures, while those who establish grounds for protection will be allowed to remain under Spanish law.
The Spanish government has also been working to increase the number of cases processed each day by deploying additional personnel to Ceuta.
More than 7,000 returns to Morocco
According to figures released by the Spanish government on September 22, more than 7,000 people had returned to Morocco since August 10, including 6,791 voluntary returns and 318 expulsions.
The returns follow the mass arrival in Ceuta, after which Spanish authorities began transferring and processing migrants while working with Moroccan authorities on returns.
Spanish authorities had previously said that the vast majority of those who entered the enclave were returned to Morocco within the first days following the mass arrival.
Those who remain in Ceuta include people whose asylum or international protection requests are still being processed, as well as migrants undergoing administrative procedures.
The planned decree-law would allow Madrid to move more quickly through these cases, particularly where protection claims are rejected, and the individuals concerned become eligible for return.
The measure is expected to be presented to the Council of Ministers next week, although its final provisions could still change before approval.
