The Spanish government and Ceuta agree on new spaces for immigrants after the outbreak of violence

BarcelonaThe day after the altercations and the outbreak of violence against a migrant settlement, the committee responsible for coordinating the response to the Ceuta crisis has agreed "unanimously" on a new list of spaces to relocate immigrants who do not have accommodation in the autonomous city, according to Spanish government sources. The location of these facilities will not be disclosed until the list has been formally approved by the next council of ministers, which will amend the royal decree approved last Tuesday. The decision was announced this Friday, after days of clashes between the executive led by Pedro Sánchez and the Ceuta authorities.

The lack of spaces available to house thousands of immigrants – either because they have not been able to access the scarce resources available or because they refuse to go there out of fear – has fueled the conflict between administrations in recent days. The Spanish executive announced four temporary locations, but only two are operational, with fewer than 2,000 places, and it requested the collaboration of the Ceuta government to find more.

One of the options on the table was the cession of Ceuta's sports centers as temporary reception spaces, but the rejection by neighbors and the city government ended up thwarting this possibility. The Ceuta president, Juan Jesús Vivas, opposed the inclusion of sports centers in the catalog and the Spanish government agreed to remove them, which is why new spaces, both regional and state-owned, had to be sought.

The Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, who has taken sole command of the crisis, has insisted that the objective is for all people who entered Ceuta irregularly to return to Morocco "always in accordance with the law," and that temporary reception facilities are "necessary" precisely to speed up returns: "The sooner we have people in the facilities, the sooner they can be returned." Although the Ceuta president offered alternative spaces, Torres ruled them out because they "would take months to be habitable," as they would require significant works and would not allow for dignified reception.

Condemnation of the "violent drift"

This Friday, an extraordinary meeting of the special committee for Ceuta was held, chaired by President Pedro Sánchez, coinciding with the worsening of tensions in the city. All members of this body have agreed on the need to condemn the violence observed in recent hours – the demonstrations led to riots and the burning of immigrants' belongings on Benítez beach – to ensure coexistence in the city, and have underlined the importance of guaranteeing the distribution of food to all people in vulnerable situations. On Thursday, hundreds of people blocked the access of a Red Cross truck to El Trampolín beach for more than two hours.

The Coordinator of Organizations for Development and Amnesty International have also expressed their "deep concern" about the "violent drift" and the growing climate of tension in the streets of Ceuta and have called on the authorities for a coordinated response to protect migrants and refugees, ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel, and avoid the "political instrumentalization" of the crisis. Amnesty has denounced the threats and difficulties faced by entities such as the Red Cross in distributing water and food. Both organizations have called for public condemnation of racist and xenophobic acts and speeches and have called for prioritizing the protection of the most vulnerable people, especially girls, pregnant women, and LGBTIQ+ people.