More than 350 officers of the Spanish National Police have launched an operation to clear the last makeshift migrant camps in Ceuta. The operations have covered the areas of Poblado Regulares, Los Rosales, the lower part of Príncipe Alfonso, the former warehouses in Tarajal and the area next to the Center for Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners.
In Tarajal, some of the migrants were living under plastic sheets, cardboard and blankets. According to information from El País, some of them have remained there for weeks, while others have moved after previous clearances of the beach camps.
Migrants are being directed to temporary centers
The adults are being taken to the Temporary Reception Center for Foreigners in Tarajal, where identification and administrative procedures are being carried out. They can then be directed to the camp in Loma Colmenar or choose to voluntarily return to Morocco.
The minors were transported to the High Police Headquarters for further action. The city's social inclusion services are working on the cases of families and people in vulnerable situations.
In the Los Rosales and Benitez districts, the operation began at 7:00 with nearly 100 officers from the police intervention unit. Four buses with approximately 60 seats each were used, but according to Cadena SER, none were fully filled. The first part ended around 9:00 a.m.
The second phase in the Tarajal industrial area was more complicated after some of the migrants tried to escape. The police applied the same order used in previous operations on Benitez and Trampolino beaches and at the Guano camp.
The crisis has lasted almost three months
The mass crossing from Morocco to Ceuta began on July 30 and 31. According to the Associated Press, around 80,000 people have entered the Spanish enclave, and up to 15,000 have remained after the first few days.
Since August 10, 11,756 people have returned to Morocco through voluntary return or expulsion, according to the latest official balance sheet cited by El País. By October 13, 3,019 minors had been reported in connection with the crisis.
The Spanish government has said it wants to clear the areas on the outskirts and in the forested areas before November 1. Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said: “We will continue to provide resources and spaces in Ceuta so that no one spends the night on the streets of the city.“
The clearing of the camps does not automatically resolve the status of the people who were housed there. They will then undergo identification, administrative procedures, referral to reception centers or return to Morocco, depending on the specific case.
Sources: elpais.com, cadenaser.com, apnews.com