Spanish police relocate migrants from Ceuta beaches to port tent camp

Evacuation operation at the port

Spanish authorities began relocating hundreds of migrants on Friday, 18 September 2026, moving them from makeshift camps on Ceuta's beaches to a newly constructed tent compound in the port. The temporary facility is installed across approximately 16,000 square meters on the Poniente dock and has a maximum capacity of 1,700 people. Government delegation officials confirmed that occupants at the site will receive food, new beds, sanitation items, and access to showers. The initiative aims to clear makeshift settlements that formed along the shoreline over the past month and a half. Estimates cited by dpa indicate that between 3,000 and 4,000 migrants remain on the beaches, far outnumbering the available tent capacity. Local authorities acknowledged that while the site could potentially expand to 2,000 beds, thousands will still remain without shelter in the enclave.

Clashes during morning transfer

The transfer started at 06:30 local time (04:30 GMT) with a deployment of between 400 and 500 police officers tasked with dividing migrants into smaller groups for transport. Confrontations developed as large crowds jostled to guarantee entry into the port camp, creating a crush around riot police lines. Officers fired warning shots into the air and executed containment charges to relieve pressure and prevent the perimeter cordon from collapsing. Spanish public television footage showed security forces struggling to hold back crowds attempting to cross the designated transfer route. Despite the scuffles and crowd pressure, authorities reported that the intervention prevented serious injuries during the initial phase. Official plans call for the dismantling of the beach shantytowns during the day, removing the makeshift bedding used by those living on the coast.

Legal dispute and administrative takeover

The relocation began hours after Spain's National Court rejected an emergency injunction filed by a police union seeking to stop the camp's construction due to safety risks. Union representatives contested the Ministry of Transport's allocation of port land, leading the Ministry of the Interior to order heightened security protocols around the sensitive maritime hub. The operation intensified political friction between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist central administration and Ceuta's conservative Popular Party government. After Ceuta's local port authority refused to grant permission for the site, Madrid intervened to assume direct management of the required municipal port property. Right-wing and far-right opposition parties stepped up their criticism of Sánchez's handling of the crisis, while Popular Party officials characterised the logistics on the ground as absolute chaos.

July border surge and regional strain

The encampments stem from an influx on 30 and 31 July 2026, when more than 70,000 migrants entered the 18.5-square-kilometre enclave from Morocco, many swimming around border barriers. While the vast majority returned across the Moroccan border within hours of arrival, several thousand stayed in the enclave, including numerous unaccompanied minors. In the weeks following the crossing, Ceuta experienced recurring civil unrest and near-daily protests by local residents demanding a return to normal conditions. Municipal authorities in Ceuta calculate that approximately 13,000 migrants remain across the territory, though Madrid has revised that figure downward. The crisis also created broader diplomatic tensions, including disputes with Italy, which temporarily reinstated border controls in response to the migration surge.