An irregular migrant is seen in Ceuta, Spain, Aug. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

The Spanish government on Tuesday approved a draft bill to reform the country's asylum and immigration legislation to "adapt Spanish legislation to the European Pact on Migration and Asylum."

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced the changes following Tuesday's cabinet meeting against the backdrop of the recent migration crisis in Ceuta, which saw an estimated 70,000 people enter the Spanish North African enclave from Morocco on July 30, many hoping to travel onward to other parts of the European Union.

Although most of the migrants subsequently returned to Morocco, several thousand remain in the enclave. The Spanish government has declared a "situation of national security interest" in Ceuta until the end of the year.

The government has also established a unified command to coordinate its response to the migration crisis. The measure was announced on Monday by Vice President and Minister of Economy, Trade and Business Carlos Cuerpo following a meeting with Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas.

Other measures approved on Tuesday included allocating around 25 million euros (29.2 million U.S. dollars) for the care of unaccompanied minors who entered the enclave, as well as a further 180 million euros (210 million dollars) to strengthen security and manage the return of migrants from Ceuta.

Grande-Marlaska told a press conference that authorities had received no warning of the mass influx. "No intelligence service suspected anything of the sort, and that's why everyone acted correctly," he said.