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.
Migrants are escorted from a makeshift beach camp to official shelters across the city after authorities cleared the site, following a mass crossing from Morocco, in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, August 20, 2026. Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura
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 Keeley
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Images of migrants crossing into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta have fuelled support for far-right parties despite a sharp decline in irregular arrivals in Europe following tougher migration policies, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said on Friday.
Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets into the air and struck people with batons on Friday as they began an operation to clear thousands of migrants off beaches in the North African enclave of Ceuta and move some of them into temporary housing.
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