Madrid, August 28 (QNA) - Spain on Friday requested assistance from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in dealing with migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, about a month after they crossed the border illegally from Morocco.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent a request to Beate Gminder, Director for Migration and Home Affairs at the European Commission, seeking assistance from Frontex in screening the migrants currently in Ceuta.
The Spanish request comes amid rising tensions in Ceuta following a series of protests by residents of the enclave calling for the migrants to be deported.
Spanish authorities arrested 12 migrants on Thursday for allegedly throwing stones at a military vehicle, an incident that left one soldier and four migrants injured.
Authorities in the enclave estimate that between 5,000 and 8,000 migrants are currently in Ceuta, out of approximately 72,000 people who crossed the border from Morocco on July 30. (QNA)