Government Takes Control of Ceuta Port to House More Than 1,000 Migrants After Vivas Resists

The Spanish government has taken control of Ceuta’s port to make room for a temporary camp with tents for more than 1,000 migrants, overriding opposition from the city’s port authority. The authority’s board voted against the plan on Friday, despite the government’s assertion that the location had already been agreed.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente signed an order under Article 73.3 of the Ports Law, allowing the Ministry of Inclusion to install the tents and continue work that port officials halted on Friday. The order authorizes the State Secretariat for Migration to use 16,000 square meters of port public land in the Poniente Expansion, Phase I.

The government’s decision says a report from Puertos del Estado found that the temporary occupation could increase certain risks involving critical infrastructure, sensitive facilities and port operations. It nevertheless concluded that reasons of general interest justified the authorization, provided measures ensured the port’s security, protection and normal operation.

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Ports of the State has issued the corresponding report, which concludes that, although the planned temporary occupation could increase certain risks associated with the protection of critical infrastructure, sensitive facilities and port operations, reasons of general interest justify granting the requested authorization.

The move marks an unprecedented step in the handling of the crisis, which had previously relied on consensus. The government says it can no longer accept delays or blockages by the city, led by Juan Jesús Vivas of the People’s Party. Vivas praised Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government during the 2021 crisis, but he is now openly at odds with Madrid and frequently accuses it of “abandonment.”

The port site had been selected after Vivas rejected other proposed locations, including a flour factory, a military hospital and sports centers. Representatives of both governments visited the two unused plots before the cabinet decree, and Vivas accepted the port plan in meetings of the unified command and the National Security Council. The port is controlled by Ceuta, whose board is chaired by Juan Manuel Doncel, a former chief of staff and development adviser to Vivas.

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