Ceuta’s Government Delegation confirmed on Friday morning that a Guardia Civil officer sustained head injuries when a group of roughly 70 migrants tried to breach the perimeter fence near the Benzú sector at dawn. The officer was treated at University Hospital and is in stable condition. Two migrants were apprehended, while the rest retreated to Moroccan territory after agents used anti-intrusion foam and pepper-spray launchers. The assault is the first large-scale fence incident since spring and comes just hours after separate reports of missing swimmers in the same area. Authorities have raised the alert level at both the Benzú and Tarajal gatehouses through the weekend, redeploying reserve civil-guard units and drones equipped with thermal cameras. Business travellers should anticipate longer vehicle checks on the N-352 approach road, affecting cross-border workers who commute daily from Morocco. Transport firms moving goods under Ceuta’s special tax regime may also face queuing times exceeding two hours. Politically, the episode revives debate over Spain’s controversial ‘hot-return’ protocol, which allows summary push-backs in certain circumstances. A Supreme Court ruling on 13 July upheld the protocol but demanded clearer humanitarian safeguards—rules the Interior Ministry has yet to publish. Companies that rely on subcontracted security staff at border installations should monitor the legal revisions to avoid compliance gaps.
Source: Europa Press – Ceuta y Melilla
