They transfer the migrants to the port of Ceuta, but the Spanish government calculates that there are 3,000 of them on the street

MadridAfter a month and almost twenty days sleeping in the open, the idea of being able to have a roof, even if it is in a temporary camp, is what has led numerous migrants in Ceuta to run out first thing this Friday to get a place in the facilities that the Spanish government has set up at the port of the autonomous city. A total of 1,700 have managed to do so. "We have successfully transferred the people without any significant incidents," assessed the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, through the social network X.

However, there were places for 1,700 people, which were filled a few hours later, and, therefore, more than 3,000 migrants remain awaiting reception. Many of them have returned to the settlements on the beaches of the Spanish enclave after being left out of the distribution of reception places and have searched through the shacks left empty by those who did manage to find a spot in the facility. They were looking for materials and objects such as blankets, whether to keep them or sell them.

Sources from the Spanish government assume that thousands of migrants will continue to live rough on the streets, some of whom are minors, until new reception spaces are opened. The same sources estimate that there are about 3,000 people who still do not have a place to go and who are currently between the streets, the mountains, and the beaches of Ceuta. In fact, El Trampolín beach, where many migrants were waiting impatiently this Friday morning to get a spot, has not emptied. "The sooner the spaces are [open], the sooner returns can be made and normality will be recovered," point out sources from La Moncloa. Some of the new squatters are migrants who had been hiding in mountainous areas and who see the beach camps as a preliminary step to entering reception resources.

With today's transfer, the Spanish government has so far enabled a total of 6,000 provisional reception places. After weeks of fluctuating figures from the administrations regarding how many migrants remain in Ceuta, the State now speaks of between 9,000 and 10,000 people, although it acknowledges that it is "difficult" to specify, given that some migrants have chosen to hide in the mountains or even in houses, which highlights the human drama. The government of the autonomous city raises the figure to 13,000, and warns that these are "conservative" data, meaning that they believe there are more.

This is how the operation has unfolded

Once the first moment of nerves and rushing had passed, the transfer of migrants has been carried out in a staggered manner. After the National Court finally authorized the relocation of people to this space this Thursday, the relocation of people in this space, agents of the Spanish police and the Civil Guard began the transfers early in the morning from the beaches of El Trampolín and Benítez, where many of the adults and minors who entered the autonomous city are living in poor conditions. It must be taken into account that it is estimated that until now there were more than 4,000 people on these beaches, more than double the capacity of the port facilities.

According to Efe, the operation carried out by the police was as follows: initially, the agents gathered all the immigrants on Benítez beach, including those who were on El Trampolín beach. From there, more than 3,000 people began to move along the Benítez promenade towards the service road that is close to the temporary reception resource established by the Spanish government, installed at the Poniente Dock.

It was at this moment that the agents began to separate the people into smaller groups to facilitate entry into the camp and proceed with their identification. This caused moments of tension because the migrants were trying to get ahead in order to secure a spot and some broke through the security cordon, as reported by the same agency. At this point, the police intervened to regain control and avoid a stampede with warning shots into the air. Afterwards, the operation was able to continue without further incidents.

Interior Ministry sources report that there has been a reinforced deployment of the National Police and the Civil Guard since July 30th of 1,600 personnel in Ceuta and that, specifically, in this Friday's operation there were about 240 National Police agents on the ground. On the other hand, the police and Civil Guard unions Jupol, SUP, UFP and Jucil have denounced that the Spanish government has put the agents in the operation at "risk" due to "lack of foresight and improvisation": "Thousands of immigrants cannot fit in the port," they warned. They also assert, in a statement, that the absence of more serious incidents does not allow the planning to be described as "successful".

On the other hand, the Health Department confirms to this newspaper that there is a case of mpox (previously known as monkeypox) detected in one of the unaccompanied minors who were being sheltered in a center. Mpox is a viral zoonosis (a disease caused by a virus that is transmitted from animals to humans) that is rare in European countries and can appear between 5 and 21 days after infection. Initially, it causes symptoms like the flu, but also inflammation of the lymph nodes and fever. The infected boy, 13 years old, is isolated in one of the reception centers that had to be set up to respond to the migratory contingency. He entered Ceuta between July 30th and 31st and the contagion was confirmed on Thursday afternoon. However, the origin has not yet been traced. Nor is there any record, according to health authorities, of an outbreak.

Political clash

In its particular race with Vox to turn the migration crisis into a goldmine for hardening the anti-immigration discourse, the PP has not hesitated to try to take advantage of the footage of scuffles seen in Ceuta during the transfer. From Melilla, the PP leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has lashed out at the Spanish government, accusing it of being unable to maintain "public order" in a Spanish city. "The only solution is the return of all those who have invaded Ceuta," he asserted in statements to the media. The Popular Party members denounce that the State's security forces and bodies are "overwhelmed" and once again blame Pedro Sánchez for the "lack of control" in Ceuta. For the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, at an event in Tarragona, the images from this Friday are "dantesque".

In Moncloa, they insist on the "irresponsible" attitude of the PP regarding the migration crisis and criticize it for questioning the operation before it has ended. "We have been in communication since early this morning with the government of Ceuta," government sources indicate. Óscar López, a minister, has accused the Popular Party members of crossing their fingers for the operation to go "wrong": "I do not understand this destructive attitude." Sumar, in turn, has criticized it from the other side of the ideological spectrum, as it has denounced the police charges against immigrants who were only walking "slowly," he said on X. "We need to relocate the migrant people to the Peninsula," requested Minister Ernest Urtasun.