Spain requests assistance from Frontex and Europol for the triage of irregular migrants in Ceuta

On Friday, the Spanish Government asked the European Commission for the cooperation of the European Border and Coast Agency (Frontex) and Europol for the triagework of migrants who continue unlawfully in Ceuta.

The request was sent by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to the Director-General for Migration and Internal Affairs of the Commission, Beate Gminder, as reported by the Ministry of the Interior in a statement.

Grande-Marlaska's letter responds to the letter sent on 21 August by the Director-General to the Spanish Ambassador to the European Union, Marcos Alonso, in which he offered the cooperation of various European agencies in the face of the migration crisis in Ceuta on 30 and 31 July.

Home Office calls for 10 more Frontex agents

In the case of Frontex, the Ministry of the Interior has requested that "the duration of Operation Minerva covering the ports of Algeciras, Tarifa and Ceuta be extended until 2 September, as long as the situation in the autonomous city is resolved".

In addition, the Ministry has requested the participation of "ten additional Frontex agents in triagework "to" expedite the collection of information "from arrivals on 30 and 31 July, persons who have not yet been subjected to this procedure.

In this process, the Ministry believes it would be very useful to "conduct interviews and make available to interpreters the support of the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA)."

The Duque de Ahumada in Spanish waters in 2027

Grande-Marlaska has also asked Gminder to ensure that the Civil Guard's oceanic vessel Duque de Ahumada , co-financed by the EU, "is in Spanish waters in 2027" and has asked him to "maintain EUROSUR Fusion Services" to provide satellite images of the Moroccan border for surveillance.

Government increases emergency aid to 44.5 million

On the other hand, the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, has announced an increase of up to EUR 44.5 million to strengthen humanitarian care in Ceuta.

He recalled that in order to maintain and extend this extraordinary humanitarian response, the Ministry approved an initial emergency declaration of more than EUR 6 million on 3 August.

He also adds that his Department is working to ensure that the costs arising from this situation can be financed through extraordinary European Union assistance mechanisms, in particular emergency financial assistance linked to migration and asylum.

"I would like to stress this point because, unlike what has been circulating in recent weeks, the Spanish Government has from the outset requested this assistance from Europe," he stressed.