Spain has formally requested urgent support from the European Commission (EC), including assistance from Frontex, Europol, and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), to manage the screening and processing of migrants who remain irregularly in Ceuta. The appeal comes as the North African enclave's Assembly unanimously declared the city to be in an "extreme situation, on the verge of collapse," urging the central government to act immediately.
Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Spain's Interior Minister, specifically asked the EC for these agencies to "reinforce the device set up to address the management of the triage and subsequent processing of the personal files of the immigrants who still remain in Ceuta irregularly." Madrid also requested the extension of Operation Minerva, a joint initiative of the Spanish police and Frontex, until September 2, to resolve the situation in the autonomous city. The EUAA's assistance is sought for conducting interviews and providing interpreters, with the entire process expected to be carried out electronically due to space limitations in Ceuta.
The Interior Ministry also announced a package of "extraordinary" measures on Friday to reinforce Ceuta's border. These include extending the Tarajal and Benzú breakwaters, implementing a permanent system of maritime containment buoys, enhancing aerial surveillance with drones, and deploying light intervention vessels and remotely operated underwater devices.
The unanimous call from Ceuta's Assembly on Friday, which included the Board of Spokespersons and non-affiliated MPs, followed an institutional declaration approved one month after the mass entry of at least 72,000 migrants from Morocco in July. Ceuta's President Juan Vivas warned, "Ceuta has lost its way of life and its calm. We do not have much time to avert disaster." The declaration advocates for the return of those who participated in the mass entry and remain in Ceuta, "in accordance with the law," and supports citizens' right to peaceful and orderly demonstration while condemning recent violent incidents.
Tensions have been high in the territory of 80,000 people since the July influx, which triggered a Europe-wide migrant alert. While Spain's leftist government states most have since left the 18.5 square kilometre enclave, thousands are reported to be still wandering the streets and sleeping on beaches. Demonstrations have intensified in recent days, culminating in clashes between protesters and police on Thursday at a beach where migrants were sleeping, leading to some of their belongings being burned.
Further incidents on Thursday included a soldier being injured when migrants threw stones at troops, resulting in the arrest of 12 Moroccan migrants. Two more arrests were made after migrants attacked a police officer, according to sources.
Addressing parliament on Friday, Interior Minister Grande-Marlaska called for calm, stating, "Violence is not the answer." He added, "I call for calm and an end to any form of violence, because…violence is not the way to resolve any problem with the complexity" of that facing Ceuta. He also accused right-wing and far-right parties, who have demanded the roundup and deportation of all migrants, of "inciting hatred and confrontation" in Ceuta. The government has emphasized the need to identify each individual to determine eligibility for asylum or deportation, noting that unaccompanied migrant children require special protection.
Ceuta and Melilla are Spain's two small territories in North Africa, forming Europe's only land border with Africa.
