The Spanish government evicts immigrants from the beach of Ceuta to relocate them, but about 500 return

Barcelona / MadridThe sun was just beginning to rise when the National Police and the Civil Guard deployed a huge operation this Thursday in the El Trampolín beach in Ceuta to evict the thousands of immigrants – there are no official figures to know how many there are – who were living there in subhuman conditions since the massive influx at the end of July. Escorted by the police and with the support of social organizations, about 1,700 people have paraded on foot to the first two temporary reception centers that the Spanish government has just opened to try to restore normality to the African city, broken by the arrival of thousands of immigrants. Just a few hours later, when municipal brigades were still cleaning up trash and all sorts of items that the immigrants had used to set up a precarious camp, about 500 people returned, forcing the municipal brigades to stop their work. Their fear is that, in an official place, they will be returned to Morocco, as some have explained to ARA.

To avoid conflicts between them, the police have separated the immigrants according to their nationality and distributed them in the first two available reception centers, while waiting for three more to be conditioned. Sub-Saharan immigrants have been taken to the Loma Margarita military facility, where three metallic structures have been erected, similar to a shed, but without walls. The Moroccans, for their part, have been installed in military tents located in the parking lot of the Loma Colmenar Embolsamiento, an area ceded by the local government very close to the Moroccan border of El Tarajal. Both are spaces intended for temporary reception, but they have tables for eating, portable toilets, water, psychosocial support, among other things. All the basic services they did not have on the beach, where an informal settlement had ended up being created, marked by inhuman conditions. "It is the tip of the iceberg of temporary reception and humanitarian aid resources," pointed out the Minister of Migrations, Elma Saiz, regarding the deployed operations.

To these two facilities will be added, in the coming days, new enabled spaces, such as the one at La Hípica, a covered equestrian complex that has shower and storage services; also the old football field at the Cavalry barracks and the Guano space, both owned by the Ministry of Defense.

In this Thursday's eviction, people were seen injured and others with obvious signs of discomfort, as the minister herself acknowledged. Doctors and nurses in Ceuta had requested an "action plan for emergencies and catastrophes" because public health services are overwhelmed. Police sources estimate that the number of people, all of them men, who have been living on the beach since the mass entry on July 31, could range between 3,500 and 5,000 people. The Spanish government's forecast is that the relocation will continue in the coming days, as new spaces become available.

Political wrangling

Almost three weeks after the massive arrival of immigrants, the Spanish government has not yet given any figures on the number of people who have remained in Ceuta. This Thursday, the minister limited herself to emphasizing the 1,800 places made available and those that will be opened soon, without specifying whether they will cover the needs of the entire group of immigrants or if they will be insufficient. The president of Ceuta, the popular Juan Jesús Vivas, celebrated that the Spanish government "is addressing the emergency", but also pointed out that the transfer of these people "does not solve the problem". Vivas urged the Ministry of the Interior to speed up expulsion proceedings, because at the current rate, "about 20-25 per day", it would take "a year" to deport them all, he points out.

Alongside the Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno, who visited the autonomous city, Vivas advocated for "securing the borders" and returning immigrants to their "places of origin". Both Moreno and the Extremaduran president, María Guardiola – both presidents who govern thanks to an agreement with Vox – have criticized the management of Pedro Sánchez's government, but also assured that they will respect "current law" to accommodate minors who need to be relocated to the Peninsula. In a meeting next week between the ministry and the autonomous communities, it is to be outlined how and when the transfer of the 500 immigrant girls will be transferred to be cared for by child protection organizations.

Regarding this transfer, which is controversial because it implies that eventually some immigrants are entering the Schengen area, the European Commission once again carried out an exercise in political juggling this Thursday: if, on the one hand, Brussels defends Spain's "duty" to protect the children in Ceuta, on the other hand, it reiterates the "expectation" that all immigrants who entered the city irregularly will be deported. The community spokesperson for migration, Markus Lammert, indicated that Brussels is awaiting the Spanish executive to detail its plans, but said that at the moment it is not "in a position to confirm that the government has made a decision in this regard".