Spanish police have begun dismantling a large migrant camp on El Trampolín beach in Ceuta, a Spanish exclave on the north coast of Africa bordering Morocco. The operation began at 8 a.m. on Sunday, with more than 350 officers taking part. Police said it was proceeding "without incidents".
People living on the sand are being taken to the El Tarajal border crossing area, where a temporary centre for foreign nationals, known as CATE, is located. There they face two options: register and be placed in emergency shelters set up in the exclave, or return "voluntarily" to Morocco. According to El País, about 600 people had already gone back this way. A spokesperson for Spain's Interior Ministry told Reuters that those moved would undergo screening or could choose to return. The Guardia Civil, a military-status police force, deployed divers and three boats in case anyone tried to escape by swimming, the news agency EFE reported. Police describe this as the start of a large-scale operation. Around 3,000 people had been living in tents and improvised shelters on the beach for about two months.
El Trampolín was the last remaining beach camp in Ceuta; a camp on neighbouring Benítez beach was cleared earlier. Authorities consider this site more complex because it is much bigger. Health concerns are also pressing: El País reported that the water was found on Friday to be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, yet residents have continued to bathe and wash kitchen utensils in the sea. Local authorities have said the beach must be cleared by 15 October.
The crisis began in late July, when tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta. Sources give differing estimates, from more than 72,000 to around 80,000. Most have since returned, but at least 10,000 remain on beaches, in the streets and in shelters, according to the authorities. Ceuta itself has only about 80,000 residents, and the presence of people sleeping outdoors has strained local resources and fuelled tension. Residents held a demonstration on Saturday calling for the migrants to leave.
The operation comes ahead of a visit by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to Ceuta on 13 and 14 October, the first of the king's 12-year reign. The trip takes place against a backdrop of long-standing friction with Morocco, which claims sovereignty over both Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's other exclave in North Africa. Spain rejects those claims, which is why the handling of the crisis carries both humanitarian and political weight.