Nerves and running around to get a spot at the migrant camp at the port of Ceuta

BarcelonaIn Ceuta, the transfer of migrants to the camp set up at the city's port is underway. After the National Court finally authorized this Thursday the relocation of more than 1,700 people to this space, Spanish police and Civil Guard officers began the transfers early this morning from the beaches of El Trampolín and Benítez, where many of the adults and minors who entered the autonomous city on July 30 are living in poor conditions.

As can be seen in videos recorded on the ground, numerous migrants have run out to avoid being left without a place at the Spanish government's provisional facilities, which has caused moments of stampede and loss of control. It should be taken into account that on the aforementioned beaches it is estimated that until now there were more than 4,000 people, more than double the capacity of the port's facilities.

As Efe explains, the operation carried out by the police was as follows: initially, the agents concentrated all the immigrants on Benítez beach, including those who were on Trampolín beach. From there, more than 3,000 people began to move along the Benítez promenade in the direction of the service road that is close to the temporary reception resource established by the Spanish government. It was at this moment that the agents began to separate the people into smaller groups of about a hundred people to facilitate entry into the camp and proceed with their identification. However, this caused moments of tension because the migrants tried to push ahead to be able to get a place and some broke the security cordon, according to the same agency. At this point, the police intervened to regain control and avoid a stampede by firing shots into the air. Afterwards, it was possible to continue with the operation without further incidents and the entry of the people into the temporary camp is currently being carried out in a staggered manner so that everyone is identified.

The possible transfer to the new facilities, moreover, has caused dozens of migrants who were in other parts of the city in the last few hours to join the groups on the beaches, reports the Efe agency. Many had been alerted by compatriots who have been in these settlements for weeks to go to the starting point of the transfers.

The PP, immersed in a competition of toughness regarding immigration with the far-right party Vox, did not take long to try to take advantage of the images of running that have been seen in Ceuta during the transfer. From Melilla, the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has attacked the Spanish government, accusing it of not being able to maintain "public order" in a Spanish city. "The only solution is expulsion," he declared in statements to the media. "Immediate return. Government, resign," wrote the secretary general of the Popular Party, Miguel Tellado, in turn in a message on X. Also the spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz, joined the criticisms of the transfer operation, accusing Pedro Sánchez of "selling out" the police forces. "We will never forgive you for this," she wrote on the same network.

Beyond the reception, the port facilities are designed for the identification and, where appropriate, the processing of the expulsion file of those hosted, as the Spanish government remarked this Thursday. Sources from the Delegation in Ceuta cited by Europa Press express their concern about the possibility that some people might try to enter the camp by force once it reaches its capacity limit, with the aim of leaving the precariousness of the city's streets or beaches.

A case of mpox detected among minors

On the other hand, the Health Department confirms to this newspaper that there is a case of mpox detected in one of the unaccompanied minors who were being sheltered in a center. They are currently isolated to prevent further infections. Interior Ministry sources also report that there has been a reinforced deployment of the National Police and the Civil Guard since July 30th of 1,600 officers in Ceuta and that, specifically, in this Friday's operation there are about 240 National Police agents on the ground.