Spanish court reviews Ceuta migrant camp as union challenges port facility

Judicial review and union appeal

Spain's Audiencia Nacional has admitted an administrative appeal filed by the Sindicato Unificado de Policía (SUP) challenging the Ministry of Transport's authorization of a temporary migrant camp in the port of Ceuta. The court's contentious-administrative chamber gave the ministry, headed by Minister Óscar Puente, a strict and non-extendable deadline of 20 days to deliver the full administrative record. Under the judicial decree, any documentation categorized as confidential must stay under government custody while remaining accessible to the magistrates examining the case. The decision to admit the case for consideration does not prejudge the merits, but it follows the court's rejection on Thursday, 17 September 2026, of an urgent injunction sought by the union to prevent the port space from opening. The police union based its legal challenge on workplace security and operational safety concerns, noting that the Ceuta Port Authority had initially rejected the location because it interfered with regular port activities before state entity Puertos del Estado issued a favorable assessment on public interest grounds.

Our obligation as a union is not to wait for an incident to occur and then regret it, but to anticipate risk and protect our colleagues.

Transfer operations and port capacity

Following the judicial refusal to suspend the installation, the central government executed the planned relocation of individuals on Friday, 18 September 2026. Authorities moved 1,700 migrants from outdoor settlements on the beaches of Benítez and El Trampolín into the newly established port facility. The intake capacity of the temporary site was exhausted within a few hours, forcing more than 2,000 migrants who could not gain entry to return to informal camps dispersed across the enclave. Central government figures indicate that between 9,000 and 10,000 migrants remain in Ceuta following irregular arrivals over the past month, with between 3,000 and 4,000 lacking any formal shelter. Following the opening of the camp, the police union announced plans to inspect and verify all security evaluations, staffing levels, and protective resources assigned to officers working in what it described as a sensitive port zone.

Opposition criticism and repatriation demands

The relocation operation and the establishment of the port camp drew strong political criticism during a Partido Popular intermunicipal gathering held in Seville on Saturday, 19 September 2026. The party's secretary-general, Miguel Tellado, labeled the transfer an operational mistake, arguing that moving migrants across the enclave is ineffective when authorities still lack an exact accounting of irregular arrivals in Ceuta. Tellado asserted that policy should focus exclusively on repatriating individuals who entered the city irregularly over the past month rather than redistributing them into local temporary facilities. The opposition official pointed out that the mayor and president of Ceuta had demanded repatriations, adding that the European Parliament had also approved a resolution addressing the migrant situation earlier that week. Tellado accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party of attempting to impede European legislative efforts aimed at managing the border crisis in the city.

The only acceptable transfer is the transfer to their country of origin of 100% of the invaders who still continue today occupying the streets of Ceuta.