Frontex Launches Operation Minerva to Support Border Guards in Ports of Algeciras, Tarifa and Ceuta
In a statement issued on June 15, the agency stressed that the operation takes place almost every year in order to support the border guards at the ports of Algeciras, Tarifa, and Ceuta with the flow of migrants from Morocco, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
“With a total of 125 personnel deployed in three different operations in Spain, Frontex will assist the country in checking the people crossing the borders,” the statement reads.
Among the personnel deployed in this operation are front-line officers who check vehicles, people, and passports, along with experts on stolen vehicles and in identifying fraudulent passports, as well as dog care teams, all from different locations of the EU.
According to Frontex, Spanish borders are crossed about 2,000 times a day, some of which constitute illegal crossings. Besides, the figures provided by the agency show that in the first quarter of 2022, a total of 1780 cases were counted, which means a decrease of 38 per cent has been noted compared to the figures of the same period last year.
Back in 2021, Frontex prepared 100 standing troop officers from 18 countries who would be able to help expedite the processing of passengers by tackling any possible illegal activity. During peak summer days, border guards must also check up to 10,000 cars and trucks arriving by ferry in Spanish ports, along with thousands of documents.
The main purpose of this operation is to control the irregular migration flows from Africa to European Union countries and thus help the Member States to manage the challenges that they are facing.
The operation also aims to contribute to fighting cross-border crime in all its manifestations, paying special attention to criminal organizations dedicated to trafficking in persons, trafficking in human beings, illicit drug trafficking, narcotic drugs, and psychotropic substances.
As for the fight against terrorism, special attention is paid to the detection and identification of foreign returned terrorist fighters and individuals associated with activities of a terrorist nature.
Frontex has stressed that during the operation, it is also important to gather information on the fight against these criminal organizations, strengthening and directing the investigative activity of an operational nature, especially concerning the illegal trafficking of persons.
Such operation is part of the operational activities coordinated by the Fontex agency on the external maritime border of the Western Mediterranean.
