The Spanish government takes control of the port of Ceuta to attend to the immigrants
The decision arrives after the president of the autonomous city refused to install tents and other spaces there
BarcelonaThe Spanish government has announced that it is assuming control of the port of Ceuta for the "humanitarian care" of migrants in tents and other spaces, as provided for in a resolution by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
The department led by Minister Óscar Puente thus authorizes the Secretary of State for Migration to temporarily use a surface area of 16,000 square meters of public port domain in the service area of the port of Ceuta, according to government sources. Puente has signed the order under Article 73.3 of the State Ports and Merchant Marine Law, and has stated that the control is justified because there are "reasons of general interest" linked to the management of the situation of interest for national security, noting that it responds to the "need to have adequate means and facilities for the exercise of public functions linked to humanitarian care and the management of the existing crisis situation."
The text of the resolution also details that the occupation will be carried out through the installation, "on a provisional basis"—until December 31st—of tents and other spaces intended for a rest area, infirmary and dispensary, and areas for social attention and intervention, health services, offices for staff, and a booth intended for security services.
The ministry's decision comes after the board of directors of the Ceuta Port Authority, controlled by the autonomous city government, voted against setting up all these facilities this Friday. There is, however, still the option to file an appeal with the National Court.
Transfer of 300 minors to El Tarajal
This Saturday, almost 300 immigrant girls who arrived in Ceuta during the mass entry of July 30 and 31 were transferred from the Reina Sofia school sports center to a warehouse in El Tarajal, which will be their new location for the time they remain in the autonomous city.
Early in the morning, and amidst a strong police presence, the minors—290, according to the testimony of some volunteers from the organizations that have worked there—boarded the buses of the company Amgevicesa, which manages public transport in Ceuta.
From there, they were transferred to some warehouses in the El Tarajal industrial estate, where they will stay until their final destination is known. After the eviction work, which lasted a couple of hours, cleaning work began at the sports center, attached to the school.