Ceuta still looks for a place for at least half a thousand minors

MadridEighteen days after the entry of tens of thousands of people from Morocco to Ceuta, the Spanish government has begun to habilitate four spaces for those adult migrants (of legal age) who continue in the autonomous city living in precarious conditions in improvised settlements, many of whom are asylum seekers. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration estimates that 1,500 people will be able to take shelter there, but the number of adult migrants on the streets is higher – it is assumed that some will be returned to Morocco.

The General Command of Ceuta of the Spanish army is the one setting up these four "provisional and temporary" spaces – they are basically tents with bunk beds – and it is expected to do so "quickly," according to sources from the Spanish government delegation in Ceuta, although they do not specify within what timeframe. Installation had already begun on Monday evening, and it is hoped that the first people can enter by Wednesday.

Now, beyond these adults, Ceuta continues to seek places to accommodate at least half a thousand migrant minors not accompanied, local government sources tell ARA: "We are still looking for locations for the minors," they indicate. These are the minors who would not be in any space provided by the Ceuta government, which has competence over unaccompanied minors, just as the autonomous communities do.

Two public schools have already opened where the girls who arrived alone were housed. Sources from the Ceuta government indicate that there are about 350 of them. However, it is desired that these schools be free for the start of the school year. That is, in September. Meanwhile, other minors have been able to be housed in the minors' centers that the Ceuta government already had, and which are well above their capacity: Ceuta has gone from housing 180 unaccompanied minors in mid-July to exceeding a thousand.

But there is a number of children who continue to sleep outdoors, in spaces that some residents of the outskirts have improvised, or are hosted by the residents themselves. There are at least 500 minors, according to the government of Ceuta. The last official figure of minors registered by the National Police was 1,898.

The Spanish government wants to prioritize family reunification and, if this cannot happen, they will be placed under the guardianship of the administration. Here, solidarity and mandatory distribution among the autonomous communities will come into play to alleviate the situation in Ceuta.

Adult spaces

Regarding the four spaces that have begun to be enabled for adults, they are these: part of the Loma Colmenar car park, a plot ceded by the government of Ceuta and which is usually used for temporary parking of cars wishing to cross the border with Morocco when it is congested. This happens, for example, during the Operation Passage of the Strait.

The other three spaces are owned by the Spanish government. These are the facilities of the Hípica, within the Military Sociocultural Sports Center. Added to this is the old football field of the Cavalry Barracks and finally the Guano space, also linked to the army. The ministry does not specify how many people will be in each space, although the Loma Colmenar car park plot will be the largest. The bulk of the people who will be accommodated there will be those found on Trampolín beach. Here, many migrants from different African countries, from Sudan to Yemen, Niger or Egypt, have been demanding for days to be able to process their application for international protection, so far without success. In fact, in recent hours they have organized themselves to pressure the Spanish government.