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Spanish Government Takes Control of Ceuta Port and Sets Up Tents for More Than 1,000 Migrants

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Approved/passed
  • Spain ordered the government to take control of Ceuta’s port and authorized temporary tents for more than 1,000 migrants still in the city.
  • The facilities will include rest areas, medical services and spaces for social assistance across 16,000 square metres of port property.
  • The move followed the Ceuta Port Authority’s rejection of the proposed installation, while estimates of the migrants remaining in the city range from 5,000 to 20,000.

Spain’s government has taken control of the port in the North African city of Ceuta and authorized the installation of tents for more than 1,000 migrants who remain there after crossing illegally from Morocco in late July.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente signed the order under Article 73.3 of Spain’s law governing state ports and the merchant marine. The measure authorizes tents on 16,000 square metres of publicly owned port land, according to Transport Ministry sources cited by EFE.

The decision follows the mass arrival of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco on July 30 and 31. Many later returned voluntarily to their country of origin, but several thousand remain in Ceuta. Some live in shelters they built on the beach, while others are spread across outlying neighbourhoods.

The installation of the temporary elements necessary to carry out the functions legally assigned to the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Assistance and the International Protection Reception System.

· Spanish government orderThe order describes the purpose of the temporary facilities at Ceuta’s port.

The exact number is disputed. Spain’s government put the figure at 5,000 at the end of August. The Ceuta government said on September 1 that between 8,000 and 9,000 remained, while some nongovernmental organizations estimated the number as high as 20,000.

The port takeover came after Ceuta’s Port Authority, controlled by the autonomous city, voted against installing the tents. The order says the temporary facilities will support the legally assigned work of the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Assistance and the International Protection Reception System. They will include rest areas, an infirmary, a dispensary, spaces for social assistance and intervention, and health services. Transport Ministry sources said the exceptional situation led the ministry to assume control and approve use of part of the port’s service area that is already open to the city.

The occupation will take place through the provisional installation of tents and other spaces intended as a rest area, infirmary and dispensary, as well as areas for social assistance and intervention or health services.

· Spanish government orderThe order lists the services planned for migrants at the port.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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