Ceuta’s Courts Overwhelmed After 80,000 Arrivals; Judges Demand Reinforcements

Spain’s judicial governing body has declared that courts in Ceuta are saturated and need urgent reinforcement following the arrival of more than 80,000 people in the autonomous city. The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) stated on Tuesday that the current workload is unsustainable and has formally requested additional staff. The CGPJ’s Permanent Commission approved a report calling for two new judges, one judicial administrator, and four administrative officers to be assigned to the Civil and Criminal Section of the Court of First Instance in Ceuta. The request comes after a surge in legal cases linked to the recent mass entry, including 96 preliminary proceedings for deaths and 23 for detained individuals between July 30 and August 5 alone. In response, Spain’s Ministry of Justice said it is ready to provide the resources as soon as it receives the formal request from the CGPJ. The ministry noted that it had already committed weeks ago to approving any necessary reinforcements. It also highlighted recent measures, including a 271% increase in the operational capacity of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, the temporary addition of two procedural processing posts for two months, and one forensic doctor post for six months. Three substitute prosecutors and three administrative staff have also been added to the local prosecutor’s office. The CGPJ’s report warns that the crisis has had an “extraordinary” impact on the public justice service. While local judicial authorities have taken emergency steps—such as assigning magistrates and staff from other courts—the inspection service says longer-term measures are needed. These include formal secondments for judges, administrators, and general court staff. The report also flags a specific concern: the court handling violence against women cases is overloaded due to a rise in sexual assault complaints. This is made worse by the upcoming departure of a temporary judge currently supporting that court. To address this, the CGPJ has agreed to delay that judge’s transfer and to create a dedicated secondment for the violence against women court. Additionally, the CGPJ has asked the Ministry of Justice to provide two interpreters and an urgent expert valuation service for the duty court. It has also requested the temporary addition of experienced administrative staff and one judicial administrator until the crisis is resolved. A senior council member, José Antonio Montero, will visit Ceuta’s courts in the coming days to assess the situation firsthand.