Police tighten border checks ahead of NATO summit in Madrid
Officers have already made 17 arrests at points which will have 24-hour controls
The 2022 NATO Madrid summit gets underway on Tuesday in the Spanish capital, against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
As such, Spain’s National Police forces have strengthened controls on the border with France, anticipating some planned disturbances and displays of public disorder.
Pablo López, a spokesperson for the National Police force, explained to the media on Monday that the aim of the tightened border controls is to prevent people with “anti-system” beliefs who may be planning a demonstration from entering the country. Additionally, López cited illegal immigration as another reason for the exceptional security measures.
In the northern Catalan area of Girona, controls are carried out in La Jonquera and in Puigcerdà, where the police have deployed specialized units from the Brigade for Response to Illegal Immigration (BRIC), which is usually activated only when there are high-profile events such as the NATO meeting in Madrid.
On the border, police are stopping cars and inspecting them thoroughly ever since the special unit was activated last Wednesday. So far, seventeen arrests have been made, mostly of people who were wanted for other legal requirements.
"The vast majority are people who had pending lawsuits; we also made some arrests for forgery and there have two arrests for illegal immigration, because they intended to cross the border transporting people who did not have the requirements," the police spokesperson said.
The NATO summit will bring delegations from up to 40 countries to Madrid for meetings between June 28-30.
The officers will carry out the checks around the clock, 24 hours a day, lasting, in principle, until July 3. They stop cars that may seem suspicious to them based on the “profiles” the brigade sends them.
López explained that they ask for the driver's and companions' documentation, check it in their own database, get them all out of the vehicle and thoroughly search the vehicle.