Spain has turned to the European Union for additional help in dealing with thousands of migrants who remain in Ceuta almost a month after an unprecedented mass crossing from neighbouring Morocco.
The Spanish government has formally requested assistance from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, to help identify and process those still in the North African Spanish territory, where growing tensions over the migrants’ presence have led to protests, violence and attacks on makeshift camps. ALSO READ: Tensions erupt in Ceuta as protesters block food aid to migrants and government appeals for calm.
Between 5,000 and 8,000 people are believed to remain in Ceuta, including unaccompanied minors, following the extraordinary events of 30 July, when at least 72,000 people crossed the border from Morocco. ALSO READ: Sánchez convenes National Security Council as government steps up response to Ceuta migrant crisis.
Most of those who entered Ceuta were rapidly returned across the border, but dealing with those who remain has proved considerably more complicated.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska (main image) sent a request on Friday to Beate Gminder, the European Commission’s director general for migration and home affairs, seeking Frontex assistance with the screening process.
Spain has also asked for an additional 10 Frontex officers to be deployed to Ceuta to help accelerate the work.
Thousands must be assessed individually
The authorities now need to establish the identities and circumstances of those remaining in Ceuta and determine whether they may be entitled to international protection.
Those who do not qualify could ultimately face return procedures, but Spain cannot simply deport the remaining migrants en masse.
Collective expulsions without individual assessment are prohibited under international law and Spanish court rulings, meaning the authorities must examine cases individually before deciding whether a person can legally be returned.
The request to Frontex follows a separate formal appeal made by Madrid on Tuesday for emergency EU funding to help Spain deal with the continuing consequences of the crisis.
The Spanish government has also resisted calls for a large-scale transfer of the migrants from Ceuta to mainland Spain, a move which could provoke further political criticism domestically and concern among other EU countries.
Almost 100 confirmed dead in 30 July crossing
The 30 July influx was on an extraordinary scale, with at least 72,000 people crossing from Morocco into a Spanish territory whose normal population is only around 80,000.
The rush towards and across the border also resulted in a heavy loss of life.
Official figures put the death toll at 82 people on the Spanish side of the border, while Moroccan authorities confirmed a further 14 deaths. Human rights organisations have reported that the true number of fatalities may have been higher.
The episode rapidly developed into a major migration emergency for both Spain and the EU and placed the Spanish government under intense political pressure over its handling of the border.
Anger and violence grow in Ceuta
The continued presence of thousands of migrants has meanwhile become an increasingly contentious issue within Ceuta itself.
Residents have staged a series of demonstrations demanding that the migrants leave the territory, with some of the protests descending into violence.
Many migrants have been sleeping in tents and makeshift accommodation around Trampolin Beach. Some of those tents have been attacked and set alight as hostility towards the camps has intensified. ALSO READ: Ceuta police clear migrants from Trampolín beach and move them to temporary shelters.
The unrest escalated again on Thursday when a group of migrants threw stones at a Spanish army vehicle.
Twelve migrants were arrested following the incident, in which one soldier and four migrants were injured.
Eleven of those detained were subsequently expelled from Ceuta, according to El País, which cited sources at the city’s main court.
With thousands of individual cases still to be processed, pressure is now growing on both the Spanish authorities and the EU to find a way of reducing the number of migrants remaining in the territory while complying with Spain’s legal obligations towards those seeking protection.
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