The Spanish government approved a decree to take control of the port of Ceuta and authorize the installation of tents to temporarily house more than a thousand migrants in the Poniente breakwater area. The decree, signed by the Minister of Transport and Sustainability, Óscar Puente, allows the installation of tents on a surface of 16,000 square meters of public port area.
The decision comes after the board of the Port Authority of Ceuta voted against the installation of the tents, considering that it would be incompatible with the normal operation of the port and could increase risks associated with the protection of critical infrastructure and port operations. The case was referred to the State Ports Authority, which issued a negative report, but the Ministry of Transport decided, even so, to comply with the request from the State Secretariat for Migration.
The tents are intended for rest areas, a medical clinic, a pharmacy, social support areas, sanitary services, offices for staff, and a hut for security personnel. The ministry justified the decision with the exceptional nature of the situation in Ceuta, noting that the area in question is already open to the city.
On Thursday, hundreds of Ceuta residents took to the streets to protest against the migrant detention centers that the Spanish government is preparing as a preliminary step for their expulsion, demonstrating against the location of the new center next to two residential areas. It should be recalled that more than 70,000 people entered Ceuta illegally between July 30 and 31, in a situation that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described as a violation of Spain's territorial integrity, holding human trafficking mafias responsible. More than 90% of those people left in the following hours, but at least 5,000 remain in the city, thousands on the streets. Sánchez also stated that Israel and Russia are believed to have been involved in amplifying disinformation on social networks about the incident.
