Spain asks Frontex for help in processing Ceuta migrants

Of the over 70,000 migrants who illegally crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in late July, some 5,000 still remain in the Spanish exclave. Ceuta residents have been angrily protesting their continued presence.

Spain has asked for help from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in processing migrants who crossed into Ceuta last month and still remain in the North African Spanish territory.

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska sent a request to Beate Gminder, the European Commission's director general for migration and home affairs, to help with screening migrants in Ceuta.

Madrid has also requested 10 more Frontex officers to help with the screening.

Frontex is the European Union agency responsible for managing the bloc's external borders and fighting cross-border crime.