The government of Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla reiterated its opposition to new facilities for migrants on 26 September 2026. Vice-President Miguel Marín said the city would oppose additional centres for short-term accommodation or identification – whether they were a Centro de Estancia Temporal de Inmigrantes or a Centro de Atención Temporal de Extranjeros . Border control is the state’s responsibility; if state-owned properties are used without the city’s consent, Melilla will consider legal action.
The trigger is a series of signals from Madrid: Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska had said in early September that a Centro de Atención Temporal de Extranjeros would be set up in each of Ceuta and Melilla on 21 September, the central government’s delegate in Melilla, confirmed that Sabrina Moh, the Ministry of the Interior was looking for premises to identify and register people after irregular border crossings. At the same time, she stressed that this did not automatically mean setting up a second Centro de Estancia Temporal de Inmigrantes. The following day, it was clarified that no Ministry of Defence land would be used for this purpose; regional and national reports currently cite no specific construction projects in Melilla.
The city government argues that additional facilities would act as a magnet and overwhelm local capacity. Instead, it is calling on the Interior Ministry to make swift decisions on border security, transport logistics and procedures for returns. Representatives of the central government, by contrast, point to flexible, temporary identification facilities as part of crisis management when arrivals increase. A final decision on the scale, location and precise function of any potential temporary facilities in Melilla is still pending.
The dispute reflects a broader debate over the division of responsibilities between the central government and the autonomous city on the European Union’s external border. Spain’s land borders with Morocco run through Ceuta and Melilla; when arrivals rise at short notice, accommodation and registration are regularly put under pressure. While Melilla is pressing the state for more effective controls and clear procedures, the Ministry of the Interior stresses the need to ensure proper administrative arrangements for identification, documentation and, where appropriate, relocation. Whether, and in what form, a Centro de Atención Temporal de Extranjeros will be established in Melilla remains open. Until then, the city is relying on prevention at the border and rejecting new permanent facilities locally.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).