Ceuta warns it is 'on the brink of collapse' as Spain seeks Frontex and Europol help

Key Points:

• Spain has requested support from the European Commission, including Frontex, Europol, and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), to assist with screening and processing migrants staying irregularly in Ceuta following a mass influx of at least 72,000 people from Morocco.
• The Spanish Interior Ministry called for the extension of Operation Minerva, a joint initiative with Frontex, until 2 September to help manage the migrant situation, and announced enhanced border security measures such as maritime containment and aerial surveillance.
• Ceuta's Assembly unanimously urged the central government to act immediately, describing the city as being in an "extreme situation, on the verge of collapse," and called for the lawful return of migrants who entered during the mass crossing.
• Rising tensions have led to protests and clashes between residents and migrants, with some violence reported, prompting Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska to call for calm and condemn violence while criticizing right-wing parties for inciting hatred.
• The Spanish government emphasizes the need to individually identify migrants to determine asylum eligibility or deportation, highlighting the special protection required for unaccompanied migrant children, as Ceuta and Melilla remain Europe’s only land borders with Africa.