Spain Requests Frontex Assistance to Process Migrants in Ceuta

Spain has requested assistance from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, to help screen and process migrants remaining in the North African enclave of Ceuta. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent the request to Beate Gminder, the European Commission's director general for migration and home affairs, and asked for 10 additional Frontex officers to speed up the screening process. Madrid has also requested that Operation Minerva, which monitors sea borders between Morocco and Spain, be extended.

The request follows a migration surge in late July when over 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta. While most have been returned, between 5,000 and 8,000 migrants remain in the territory. Spanish authorities cannot deport the remaining group collectively because international law and Spanish court rulings require individual assessments. Spain has ruled out moving the migrants to the mainland due to opposition from some EU members and conservative regional governments.

Tensions have risen among Ceuta residents, leading to protests and violent clashes. Some protesters have attacked and set fire to tents on Trampolin Beach. On Thursday, 12 migrants were arrested after stoning an army vehicle, which injured one soldier and other migrants. Reports indicate that 11 of those arrested were subsequently expelled from the territory.

To manage the crisis, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced new border security measures including the use of drones, controllable submarines, and blockade buoys. Additionally, Madrid has formally requested emergency funding from the European Union to address the situation.