Spain has formally asked the European Union to send additional personnel and resources to Ceuta to accelerate the identification and processing of thousands of migrants who remain in the city after July’s mass border crossing.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska requested support from Frontex, Europol and the European Union Agency for Asylum in a letter to the European Commission, Spanish media reported Friday.
Madrid wants Frontex to deploy 10 additional officers to collect information from migrants who have not completed initial screening. It also requested an extension of Operation Minerva beyond its scheduled end on September 2.
The operation, led by Spain’s National Police and coordinated by Frontex, covers the ports of Ceuta, Algeciras and Tarifa. Its 2026 deployment includes 137 specialists from 15 European countries.
Spain asked the asylum agency to provide interviewers and interpreters. Some interviews could be conducted remotely because of limited facilities in Ceuta.
Europol would assist Spanish police with intelligence analysis and investigations into migrant-smuggling networks. Madrid may later request Frontex support for returns once identification and asylum procedures are completed.
Spain also wants continued access to EUROSUR surveillance data and images and has requested that the Civil Guard vessel Duque de Ahumada, which participates in Frontex operations, remain available in Spanish waters during 2027.
The operational request follows Spain’s August 24 application for more than 32 million euros in emergency EU funding for asylum, migration and border management.
EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said Saturday that the Commission was reviewing the request and would decide quickly.
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