The Spanish Ministry of the Interior is delaying the installation of a new maritime border fence between Melilla and Morocco while deploying police reinforcements.
Police officers waited at Barajas for a flight to reinforce security in Melilla, where authorities fear potential mass entry attempts in the coming days.
The delay comes six days after 72,000 people crossed into Ceuta, facilitated by a lack of physical border barriers in the water. A recent Supreme Court ruling established that migrants arriving by swimming into Spanish territory cannot be turned back immediately unless they cross a physical barrier like a fence.
Floating Barriers in Ceuta
The Ministry of the Interior had postponed border works at El Tarajal in Ceuta for years despite an earlier high court decision. Following the migratory crisis in North Africa, the Secretary of State for Security issued an internal order giving legal cover to National Police and Guardia Civil officers to expand border structures.
Ceuta subsequently built a floating fence measuring 500 meters long and nearly two meters high, extending both above and below the water line. The structure features anchored buoys and a central navigation channel for Guardia Civil patrol vessels.
Temporary Dike Fencing in Melilla
The same Interior directive applies to Melilla, where a similar aquatic system must be installed to allow officers to perform border rejections. However, police sources on the ground said the ministry is still studying how to implement the maritime fence almost a week after the Ceuta crossings.
In the interim, the government is erecting temporary construction fences on Melilla's south dike, which acts as a land and sea border separating the city from the port of Nador in Morocco. The two-meter-high fencing covers a 140-meter stretch of the 500-meter dike, running from the final Guardia Civil watchtower to the end roundabout.
That section previously had no fence and contained only breakwaters. The thin construction barriers differ from Melilla's main perimeter fences, which are taller, stronger, and topped with inverted combs to stop climbers.
According to news agency Efe, the temporary installation is not finished. Work materials, unfinished sections, and unattached upper reinforcing bars remain scattered on the ground awaiting assembly by laborers.
Security Forces Deployment
To guard against potential group crossings, the Ministry of the Interior has increased security contingents across Melilla. Sources from the Government Delegation stated that two rapid intervention modules from the Guardia Civil Reserve and Security Groups, comprising 18 officers and one sergeant, arrived this week.
These units join specialized swimming, intervention, and rescue teams deployed earlier to the autonomous city. Additionally, the National Police deployed 50 officers from the Police Intervention Unit, new drone pilots, operational vehicles, and upgraded surveillance equipment.
