Police begin operation to move migrants from Ceuta beaches

Police have begun moving hundreds of migrants in Ceuta to a new tented site in the port area of the Spanish territory in north Africa.

Key points

• Ceuta's Mayor Juan Jesus Vivas informed lawmakers in the European Parliament earlier this month that the migrants had turned Ceuta into a "pressure cooker".
• Since the migrant influx, residents of the 18.5 sq km (7.2 sq miles) territory have expressed safety reservations.
• More than 170 police officers have been deployed, including drone technicians, Efe documented.
• The chaotic scenes will do little to dampen opposition criticism in Spain of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
• Ester Muñoz of the conservative People's Party remarked the administration was "directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta and for those who died".

Officers struggled to contain crowds of individuals jostling to secure a place at the site after weeks of living on the beaches. Shots could be heard, with reports that police fired into the air.

Meanwhile, a number of hundred migrants have now reached the camp. It has a capacity for 1, 700 residents.

Most of the 72, 000 migrants who breached the border from Morocco in July have returned, but it is believed that more than 13, 000 remain in the enclave.

Meanwhile, the operation began at regarding 07: 00 local time (05: 00 GMT) on Friday, with more than 3, 000 migrants being transferred, according to the Spanish government-owned news agency Efe.

During the process, some migrants broke through the cordon along the designated 2km (1.2 mile) route to the port. Video demonstrates young men running in the darkness as police tried to maintain control.

More than 170 police officers have been deployed, including drone technicians, Efe documented. It continued that the situation was afterwards "brought under control quickly", and the operation was able to continue.

Notably, the operation is part of the government's attempt to concentrate the migrants in facilities where they can be identified and cared for while their administrative status is individually determined.

In practice, the chaotic scenes will do little to dampen opposition criticism in Spain of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. This person has faced solid criticism over his handling of the crisis.

Since the migrant influx, residents of the 18.5 sq km (7.2 sq miles) territory have expressed safety reservations. Some have destroyed shelters and blocked aid being supplied to the migrants.

"The city is completely different than it was before this event, Ceutans have lost their joy and their lifestyles have been completely shaken up, " the conservative mayor remarked.

Notably, the opposition additionally accused Sánchez of knowing concerning the influx of migrants in advance. Sánchez has insisted that it was impossible to predict, but according to administration documents, its intelligence services had cautioned of social media calls for a mass migrant crossing into Ceuta the day before the events happened.

Ester Muñoz of the conservative People's Party remarked the administration was "directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta and for those who died". The incident has additionally created diplomatic headaches for Sánchez.

In practice, the prime minister is at odds with Italy, with the two countries earlier this week extending temporary border controls imposed on each other. He is additionally trying to maintain his bilateral relationship with Morocco.

Meanwhile, the influx of migrants in late July came after Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants halted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

After the ruling, some social media accounts spread misinformation and offered to support migrants cross the Spanish border for hundreds of pounds.

Thousands of individuals then flooded throughout the border fence and swam around the ocean barriers. At least 100 individuals died during the crossing, according to local authorities.

Taken together, the developments around police begin operation to move migrants from Ceuta beaches point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.