Spanish police have cleared a makeshift migrant camp from Benítez Beach in Ceuta, relocating hundreds of people for identification as authorities work to manage the aftermath of a major migration influx.
Police estimated that between 300 and 400 migrants were staying at the beach when the operation began on Tuesday morning. Officers escorted people from tents and gathered them before transferring them by bus to the temporary foreign nationals’ centre near the Tarajal border crossing.
Some migrants attempted to break through the police cordon and run toward the city, while others left the camp without resistance. Women were separated from the main group, and minors were taken to facilities handling their identification and care.
Authorities said the operation was also linked to safety concerns around a nearby desalination facility and the overflow channel of a reservoir, as the rainy season begins.
After identification, migrants remaining in Ceuta are expected to be moved to temporary accommodation, including expanded facilities at Loma Colmenar.
The beach camps emerged after a mass crossing from Morocco into Ceuta in late July. Spanish authorities later revised estimates of the number who entered during the crisis to around 70,000 to 72,000.
The latest operation comes as Spain continues to review its migration and asylum procedures following the unprecedented influx, while authorities prepare additional accommodation for migrants still in the territory.
