MADRID, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Spain asked on Friday for help from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in processing migrants in the North African enclave of Ceuta almost a month after tens of thousands rushed across the border from Morocco.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent a request to Beate Gminder, the European Commission’s director general for migration and home affairs, for help from Frontex, a European Union agency, to screen migrants in the enclave illegally.
Authorities say between 5,000 and 8,000 people remain in Ceuta after at least 72,000 people crossed from Morocco on July 30 in a rush that killed 82 migrants on the Spanish side of the border, with 14 more deaths confirmed by Morocco.
Spain also asked for 10 more officers from Frontex to help with migrant screening.
Marlaska’s request comes amid rising tensions in Ceuta after a series of protests by residents who have demanded the migrants leave.
Tents used by migrants on Trampolin Beach, where many migrants have been camping out, 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, the El Pais newspaper reported on Friday, citing sources from the city’s main court.
(Reporting by Graham KeeleyEditing by Rod Nickel)
