Police move Ceuta migrants off beaches in Spanish enclave

Deteriorating conditions have fueled tensions with local residents, prompting near-daily protests calling for a return to normality.(AFP) — Police on Friday moved hundreds of migrants from the beaches of Ceuta to a temporary camp in the Spanish enclave’s port area, weeks after a record influx into the tiny territory.During the transfer, police struggled to contain crowds of people jostling to secure one of the 1,700 places at the new tent camp after weeks of living on the beaches.More than 70,000 migrants streamed into Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented, chaotic surge that left scores dead and sparked infighting within the European Union over immigration.Most returned in the following hours, but thousands remained in precarious conditions in the small city, sleeping on the streets or in makeshift tents.Deteriorating conditions have fueled tensions with local residents, prompting near-daily protests calling for a return to normality. Some of the demonstrations have drawn support from far-right groups.Many residents accuse the government of abandoning the enclave amid a humanitarian crisis.Police began rounding up migrants at 6:30 a.m. Friday (0430 GMT), according to a Spanish government source in Ceuta.By noon, all the places at the new camp had been taken and the transfer operation had ended, a government source told AFP. The camp brings the enclave’s total temporary accommodation capacity to 6,000 people.Ceuta authorities estimate that 13,000 migrants remain in the 18.5-square-kilometer (7.2-square-mile) territory. The central government says the figure is lower.The Spanish government proceeded with the transfer despite opposition from the conservative local government.“This is a key step,” Digital Transformation Minister Óscar López said Friday, arguing that moving migrants off the beaches would help authorities process cases more quickly and ease pressure on public spaces.Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has faced strong criticism over his handling of the crisis. He is also in a dispute with Italy, which temporarily reimposed border controls.The government has had to identify the thousands of migrants who have remained for weeks and determine whether they are entitled to asylum. Unaccompanied children cannot be summarily deported.Last week, Madrid said more than 5,300 migrants who remained in Ceuta after the July influx had returned to Morocco within a month.AN ‘INVADED CITY’The migrant surge has generated a steady stream of negative headlines and dominated political debate for weeks.With no end to the crisis in sight, worry and anger are growing among Ceuta’s 84,000 residents, many of whom accuse the government of abandoning them.Migrants are living in informal camps as the leftist government works to expand emergency accommodations.Isolated episodes of violence have broken out, including fights among migrants, the stoning of a military patrol and reported sexual assaults.The dispute has become entwined with Spain’s broader debate over migration ahead of next year’s election. The conservative and far-right opposition parties accuse Sánchez’s government of failing to protect Spanish sovereignty in Ceuta.Questions about what the government knew beforehand and Morocco’s possible role have increased the political fallout for Sánchez. Madrid has spent years trying to improve relations with Morocco.Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo seized on Friday’s scenes, saying images of migrants running to secure places in the camp showed “the loss of control in Ceuta — now an invaded city — is absolute.”“That is how they should leave. Running. And the sooner, the better,” far-right Vox party leader Santiago Abascal said on X.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads