Spanish police clear Ceuta beach where 3,000 migrants had set up camp ahead of visit by royal family

Published: 11:24 EDT, 4 October 2026 | Updated: 11:33 EDT, 4 October 2026 Spanish police have cleared 3,000 migrants from a Ceuta camp ahead of King Felipe and Queen Letizia's visit to the North African enclave this month. Authorities moved the migrants from Trampolin beach, where they were living in tents and makeshift homes for two months, to temporary accommodation.They will then be processed or can go back to Morocco, a Spanish interior ministry spokesman said on Sunday. King Felipe and Queen Letizia are due to visit Ceuta from October 13-14 for the first time in his 12-year reign. The visit comes amid longstanding friction with Morocco, which claims sovereignty over both Ceuta and Spain's other North African enclave, Melilla. The royal family's exact plans are not yet known but their itinerary is reportedly expected to be released in the coming days. Riot police officers stand among the shelters of the makeshift camp on El Trampolin beach in Ceuta during the eviction of 3,000 migrants It comes ahead of a trip to the city by King Felipe and Queen Letizia later in October Earlier this summer tens of thousands of migrants crossed the border from Morocco sparking a crisis that led to clashes with Spanish police and military over the past two months. More than 72,000 crossed the border from Morocco into Ceuta in late July. While most of the migrants later went back, at least 10,000 remain in the city, straining local resources and fuelling tensions. But the army has since come under fire for allegedly using excessive force against migrants after Madrid increased the presence of authorities across Ceuta.Last month a series of videos emerged showing Spanish soldiers chasing down and beating migrants in the city. One video captured in Ceuta showed soldiers grabbing a young migrant boy and holding him down as they smashed him with batons.He was forced to wriggle free and tumble down a litter-strewn hill to get away.Further footage showed two soldiers beating a single migrant in the dead of night, before walking away. Earlier this summer tens of thousands of migrants crossed the border from Morocco sparking a crisis Authorities moved the migrants from Trampolin beach, where they were living in tents and makeshift homes for two months, to temporary accommodationAnother clip showed migrants being roughed up following a raid. One man was heard pleading for help as he was shoved against a concrete wall.Another was shoved to the floor by one soldier, while another hit him with a baton.The videos, shared by local media, have already drawn the ire of the Prime Minister's office.In a statement, an official told El Diario: 'We express our complete dismay and condemnation of these images, and the Government will, of course, open an investigation into the matter.'The videos come out just days after the enclave was preparing for a potential new mass surge of migrants. Social media was rife with calls for migrants to enter the city again when elections were being held in Morocco, causing high tensions in the Spanish city.Thousands of Ceuti people marched to the border with Morocco to protest against the reported planned crossing.Police were deployed to quell a riot at the Loma Colmenar detention centre. It comes after accusations that Spanish soldiers had allegedly used excessive force against migrants after Madrid increased the presence of authorities across Ceuta Boats patrol the sea in the fog off the makeshift migrant camp on El Trampolin beachSeveral police units were called in, with footage shared by local media showing a riot van in place with lines of officers in head-to-toe riot gear.In front of them stood dozens of people who appeared to be migrants. The riot van sounded its alarm in an apparent warning to those gathered.Police were also called to a makeshift migrant shelter in Loma Colmenar – and many of the inhabitants were reportedly minors. Officers raided the house following neighbours' complaints.