Spain advances faster asylum rules after Ceuta mass crossing

Spain’s cabinet gave preliminary approval Tuesday to draft reforms of the country’s asylum and immigration laws, seeking faster border procedures following the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta in late July.

The proposals adapt Spain’s legislation to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, which became applicable in June. They remain preliminary bills and must undergo further review before returning to the cabinet and proceeding through Parliament.

The asylum bill would retain an ordinary examination process while creating an accelerated procedure with a three-month deadline. A separate border procedure would require decisions within 12 weeks and keep applicants available to Spanish authorities before formal admission, facilitating their return if protection is denied.

The immigration reform would establish compulsory screening for people entering without regular border checks. The process includes medical and vulnerability assessments, identification, biometric registration, security checks and referral to the appropriate procedure.

EU rules allow seven days for screening, but Spain would retain its 72-hour limit, extendable only by a judge. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the changes would shorten deadlines without eliminating individual examination or fundamental safeguards, particularly for minors.

Marlaska also rejected claims that Spanish intelligence had warned of the July 30 crossing. He said no Spanish or allied service had predicted an increase from about 1,000 attempted entries a week to more than 70,000 within 24 hours, describing the scale as exceptional.

The minister praised Morocco’s cooperation, saying Moroccan authorities had intercepted far larger numbers of migrants and minors attempting to swim to Ceuta before the mass crossing. Spain and Morocco were continuing efforts to prevent further crossings, he added.

The cabinet also declared Ceuta a matter of national security interest and placed Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres in charge of coordinating 11 ministries. Torres said the priority was the lawful return or repatriation of as many irregular arrivals as possible while protecting asylum seekers and unaccompanied children. Madrid also approved €25 million in aid for migrant minors.

Marlaska said more than 70,000 people had already left Ceuta. He said the Schengen area was not threatened because the territory operates under its special border rules.