Jorge Fernández Díaz highlights that the opening of new International Protection Offices reaffirms Spanish commitment to defending human rights

The Spanish Minister for Home Affairs will travel on Monday afternoon to Melilla, where he will officially open the International Protection Office at the Beni-Enzar border post tomorrow.

During his visit to the autonomous city, Jorge Fernández Díaz met with the Mayor-President of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas. This meeting was also attended by the Central Government Representative in Ceuta, Francisco Antonio González; the State Secretary for Immigration and Emigration, Marina del Corral; and the Director-General for Home Affairs Policy, Cristina Díaz Márquez. Furthermore, Jorge Fernández Díaz was shown the border perimeter of the autonomous city and met with those in command of the Spanish National Police and the Spanish Guardia Civil in Ceuta.

The agenda for the Minister for Home Affairs in Ceuta will conclude on Monday afternoon with a visit to the Temporary Immigration Shelter (Spanish acronym: CETI).

Strengthening guarantees in the international protection system

Those immigrants who could potentially seek international protection will be identified at the International Protection Offices in Ceuta and Melilla. This process will always take place with assistance from legal and interpreting services, as one of the guarantees under the international protection system. This means that such immigrants will be able to formally submit their application to the authorities in charge of the border post (the Spanish National Police), which will continue to be accepted or denied by the Office of Asylum and Refuge, a body that is also managed under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

With this project, the Government of Spain is responding to the unique situation in Ceuta and Melilla; borders experiencing strong migratory pressure in recent years due to their status as the only land borders between the European Union and the continent of Africa. The initiative strengthens the guarantees under the international protection system and enables improved compliance with the demands of international regulations. In this regard, the Minister for Home Affairs stressed that, by opening these new offices, "Spain is reaffirming its strong desire and commitment to the defence of human rights and respect for international law".

Implementation of these International Protection Offices in Ceuta and Melilla has required the Office of Asylum and Refuge to make investments in both the installations (in order to provide the necessary space and infrastructure for suitable reception, acceptance and processing of applications within the border zones) and human resources, given the need to increase the number of staff available to provide this application assistance service (information and application processing), set up the necessary pool of interpreters and meet the needs of application assistance staff.

Furthermore, and with participation from the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more specialised training has been provided to those people who will provide this service at the International Protection Offices.