The Government appoints De la Encina as Government Delegate in Ceuta

The Council of Ministers agreed on September 29, 2026, to the dismissal of Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano as Government Delegate in Ceuta and the appointment of Javier David de la Encina Ortega to occupy that same position. Both agreements are published in the Official State Gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado) no. 241, of September 30, 2026, through royal decrees 768/2026 and 769/2026 (BOE-A-2026-20273 and BOE-A-2026-20274). The decision was adopted upon the proposal of the President of the Government and affects a key delegation regarding security and border control.

The appointment is based on article 72.4 of Law 40/2015, of October 1, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, which regulates the designation of Government delegates in the autonomous communities and autonomous cities. The two royal decrees bear the signature of King Felipe VI and the countersignature of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, and were issued in Madrid on September 29, 2026, the same day as the deliberation of the Council of Ministers.

The handover comes just seven months after the previous one. Pérez Triano had been appointed to the position by Royal Decree 92/2026, of February 10, published in the Official State Gazette no. 37, of February 11, 2026, section II.A, page 21316 (BOE-A-2026-3086). He was preceded by Rafael García Rodríguez, designated by Royal Decree 928/2022, of October 31 (BOE-A-2022-17845) and dismissed in March 2024 (BOE-A-2024-6410).

A dismissal with gratitude and an appointment with a mandate

Royal Decree 768/2026, of September 29, provides for the dismissal of Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano as Government Delegate in Ceuta, with express gratitude for the services rendered. The text is limited to formalizing the departure and does not include additional motivation regarding the reasons for the handover.

Royal Decree 769/2026, of the same date, appoints Javier David de la Encina Ortega as Government Delegate in Ceuta, with an identical formula of presidential proposal and prior deliberation of the Council of Ministers. Both documents are inserted in section II.A of the gazette, dedicated to appointments, situations, and incidents, under the heading of the Presidency of the Government.

Official data of the handover

• Dismissal: Royal Decree 768/2026, of September 29, BOE-A-2026-20273, section II.A, page 127964.
• Appointment: Royal Decree 769/2026, of September 29, BOE-A-2026-20274, section II.A, page 127965.
• Issuing body: Presidency of the Government, upon the proposal of the President of the Government.
• Processing: following prior deliberation of the Council of Ministers in its meeting on September 29, 2026.
• Publication: Official State Gazette no. 241, Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
• Previous dismissal from the position: Rafael García Rodríguez, March 2024 (BOE-A-2024-6410).

Ceuta, in a situation of interest for national security

The handover coincides with the extension and adaptation of the state apparatus deployed in the city. The same issue of the bulletin publishes Royal Decree 761/2026, of September 29, which modifies Royal Decree 681/2026, of August 25, declaring a situation of interest for national security in the city of Ceuta (BOE-A-2026-20267).

This regulation is justified by the crisis derived from the irregular entry of migrants into Ceuta on July 30 and 31, and by the need to temporarily house those remaining in the city while their return is processed. The text incorporates new reception spaces, including a plot of the Ceuta Penitentiary Center, following the agreement of the Situation Committee meeting on September 24, 2026, with the city present as a member. The delegation now assumed by De la Encina Ortega thus puts them in charge of state dialogue in a territory with an active national security apparatus.

The change of leadership in the Government Delegation in Ceuta has a direct impact on the coordination of the National Police, Civil Guard, and reception services on a border with Morocco subject to special surveillance. With this handover, the Government renews its representation in the autonomous city in the midst of executing the response plan to the migratory crisis and on the threshold of a new term of managing border pressure.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 241, of September 30, 2026, section II.A, pp. 127964-127965 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-20273 and BOE-A-2026-20274).