Government Approves 2,000 Urgent Reception Places, Extends Frontex Vessel Deployment Into 2027

Spain's crisis situation committee unanimously approved the creation of 2,000 urgent reception places in Ceuta, after Ceuta's government objected to initial proposals to use sports facilities citing infrastructure deficiencies. Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said the Council of Ministers would formally approve specific facility locations the following Tuesday. Government figures put roughly 5,000 migrants still in Ceuta (local authorities say nearly double that), including about 1,500 identified minors, with 1,827 people already housed at the Loma Margarita and El Embolsamiento centres. Grande-Marlaska's request to Brussels also sought continued deployment through 2027 of the EU-co-financed oceanographic vessel Duque de Ahumada, operated by Spain's Civil Guard.