This is the moment a migrant on a paraglider was filmed attempting to fly into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this week.
Footage shared by the Unified Association of the Guardia Civil (AUGC) on Saturday shows a purple-coloured paraglider meandering through the sky.
In a post on X, the trade union said: ‘We warned about it in January.
‘The Ministry of the Interior responded in writing to Congress that paraglider entries did not exist.
‘On Friday, a young man died after plunging into the sea in the area of the Benzu breakwater while attempting to enter this way. It was the first documented fatality in Spain by this route.
‘And a few hours ago, a new flight over the border. The video speaks for itself.’
It added: ‘They take off from ‘la mujer muerta’, the mountain that connects the Moroccan neighborhood of Belyounech with the border perimeter near the Benzu breakwater.
‘Denying it doesn’t make it disappear. It only prevents allocating resources and adapting surveillance devices in time.
‘The pressure on Ceuta persists. We can’t let our guard down.’
The row follows a parliamentary question from Javier Celaya, the Partido Popular MP for Ceuta, concerning reports that migrants were using paragliders to cross the border into the Spanish enclave.
According to AUGC, the Interior Ministry denied that there had been episodes in which people entered Spanish territory illegally using the aircraft.
But the Guardia Civil association insists such incidents have taken place.
AUGC said it had already publicly warned about the alleged emergence of the new method, which it believes poses a serious challenge for border security.
The union said its information was based on ‘data and testimonies’ gathered from Guardia Civil officers stationed on the ground who had direct knowledge of the alleged incidents.
It said in an official statement: ‘It is therefore deeply concerning that the Interior Ministry has chosen to deny a reality known by the very professionals responsible for the surveillance and control of the borders.’
The union called on the government to listen to Guardia Civil officers working on the frontline and to strengthen staffing and equipment.
It also demanded that irregular migration be addressed with ‘transparency, realism and institutional responsibility’.
AUGC vowed to continue speaking publicly about issues affecting security and Guardia Civil working conditions ‘regardless of whether these complaints are uncomfortable for the administration’.
