Spain asks EU's Frontex for help in processing Ceuta migrants

Of the over 70,000 migrants who illegally crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in late July, some 5,000 still remain in the Spanish exclave. Ceuta residents have been angrily protesting their continued presence.

https://p.dw.com/p/5JbMf Advertisement Spain has asked for help from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in processing migrants who crossed into Ceuta last month and still remain in the North African Spanish territory.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent a request to Beate Gminder, the European Commission's director general for migration and home affairs, to help with screening migrants in Ceuta.

Madrid has also requested 10 more Frontex officers to help with the screening.

Frontex is the European Union agency responsible for managing the bloc's external borders and fighting cross-border crime.

Over 70,000 migrants crossed from Morocco to Ceuta illegally in late July. The incident triggered a massive EU migration emergency and brought Spain's leftist government much criticism.

Though the majority of people were quickly sent back to Morocco, at least 5,000 migrants still remain in the Spanish territory of roughly 80,000 residents.

Madrid cannot deport the remaining migrants quickly as a collective return without individual assessment is prohibited under international law and Spanish court rulings.

Unaccompanied minors at risk of sexual assault in Ceuta To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Ceuta's residents loudly reject the migrants' continued presence and have made their voice heard via protests which have sometimes turned violent.

Spain has ruled out moving the migrants into the mainland as that would invite further criticism from the opposition as well as some EU members.

Migrants have set up camp on Trampolin Beach, where some tents have been attacked and set on fire amid the residents' rising anger.

On Thursday, protests turned violent with 12 migrants arrested after stoning an army vehicle, injuring one soldier and other migrants. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that 11 migrants were expelled from the territory, citing sources from the city's main court.

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