Spain asks EU for help to process 5,000 Ceuta migrants amid local unrest

Spain has asked Europe’s Border and Coastguard Agency, Frontex, for help to process some 5,000 migrants in Ceuta who crossed into the North African territory one month ago.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent the request to Beate Gminder, the European Commission’s director general for migration and home affairs, on Friday.

Grande-Marlaska also requested an extra 10 Frontex officers to speed up screening efforts.

Spanish authorities must identify those remaining in Ceuta to establish whether they are entitled to international protection or, if not, begin procedures for their return.

Authorities say between 5,000 and 8,000 migrants, including unaccompanied children, still in Ceuta are among the 72,000 people who crossed the border from Morocco on July 30.

The rush killed 82 people on the Spanish side of the border and 14 on the Moroccan side, according to official numbers. Human rights groups reported higher figures.

Spain’s request comes amid rising tensions in Ceuta, after a series of protests by residents who have demanded the migrants leave.

Tents on Trampolin Beach, where many migrants have been camping, have been attacked and set on fire.

Twelve migrants were arrested on Thursday after stoning an army vehicle, injuring one soldier and four migrants. Eleven were expelled from Ceuta, El Pais newspaper reported on Friday, citing sources from the city’s main court.

On Tuesday, Madrid made a formal request for emergency funding from the EU to help address the situation.