Spain Asks Frontex for Help with Migrants in Ceuta After Mass Border Breach

Spain has officially requested help from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) to deal with the migrant situation in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa. The appeal comes almost a month after tens of thousands of people surged into the city from Morocco, Reuters reports.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent a request to Beate Gminder, the European Commission's Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs, asking for Frontex's assistance in screening migrants who are in the enclave illegally.

Tens of Thousands in a Single Wave

According to authorities in Ceuta, at least 72,000 people entered the enclave in late July, and between 5,000 and 8,000 migrants reportedly remain in the city. Dozens are believed to have died during that wave of migration.

Tensions Rising in the City

The call for Frontex assistance comes amid escalating unrest in Ceuta, where local residents have staged a series of protests demanding the migrants' removal. On Thursday, some residents set fire to migrants' temporary shelters on the beach. That same day, 12 migrants were detained after throwing stones at a military vehicle, Reuters reports.

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Source: seznamzpravy.cz