Migrants in Ceuta: Spanish government takes control of port

Madrid has taken control of the port in Ceuta to establish a temporary camp for migrants, directly overruling the authorities of the Spanish enclave on Morocco’s border.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente signed the order allowing the tent camp to be built in the port area, Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and other Spanish media reported. The decision puts the central government at odds with Ceuta’s regional administration, led by President Juan Jesús Vivas.

The local government had recently rejected a camp at the port. It argued that the facility was essential to supplying the enclave and that a large fuel depot stood nearby. It had also opposed temporary accommodation in a disused factory, a former military hospital and sports centers.

Another camp for about 900 people is being built in the Los Rosales district, where residents have protested. Government figures say around 72,000 migrants swam from Morocco or climbed over border fences into Ceuta at the end of July, although most returned within hours. More than a month later, about 5,000 migrants were still there, including 1,200 minors. The enclave is smaller than Frankfurt Airport.