Spain approves €40.3 million for Ceuta as new delegate takes office

Government delegation leadership change

David de la Encina took office on 30 September 2026 as the new Spanish government delegate in Ceuta, replacing Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano following weeks of heightened migratory pressure. Speaking at the government delegation headquarters alongside Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres and Education Minister Milagros Tolón, De la Encina stated that the local population demands practical action rather than rhetoric. Outside the delegation building, a protest camp consisting of ten tents remained in place. De la Encina, who previously served as mayor of El Puerto de Santa María in Cádiz, noted that local residents had faced disruptions to basic rights for 59 days. He pledged to accelerate repatriation procedures, extend the border breakwater, and restore civic normal conditions without requesting the customary 100-day transition period.

I come to work, I come to face the public.

Procedures for migrant minors and adult repatriations

Minister Ángel Víctor Torres confirmed that zero migrant minors have been returned to Morocco from Ceuta, citing legal obligations for individual administrative processing. The autonomous city of Ceuta has opened 20 specialized care resources, registering 2,566 minors by Wednesday. Since late July 2026, 69 minors have relocated to the Spanish mainland for family reunification, and 144 others have transferred to reception centers across various autonomous communities. Authorities have sent ten formal family reunification files to Moroccan officials for processing. Torres also reported that nearly 9,000 adult irregular migrants have returned to Morocco since 10 August 2026, adding that sub-Saharan migrants lacking international protection status were repatriated under formal expulsion orders alongside targeted anti-trafficking protections for vulnerable women.

No minor has been returned to Morocco because they cannot be returned, these are individualized files.

School attendance and educational security funding

Education Minister Milagros Tolón announced that 90% of Ceuta students attended classes on 29 September 2026, aligning the enclave with standard back-to-school participation rates across Spain. The Ministry of Education allocated €3.2 million to private security contracts to safeguard schools and students across the city. Attendance climbed from 75% on the opening day of the academic term to 86% by the fourth day, reaching 90% on Tuesday without registered incidents. Tolón, making her second trip to Ceuta since the crisis began, held meetings with education trade unions and parent-teacher associations before scheduling direct visits to local schools on Thursday.

Financial allocation and public space restoration

Torres announced that Spain's Council of Ministers will approve a royal decree on the coming Tuesday allocating €40.3 million to help Ceuta cover extraordinary expenditures in municipal cleaning and security. National Police officers cleared Benítez beach on Tuesday, and the central executive expects all municipal coastal areas to reach normal status before 15 October 2026. Torres stated that the city holds nearly 9,000 fewer irregular migrants than on 10 August 2026, projecting an additional drop of 1,000 people in the subsequent week as return procedures continue under the unified command.