Police Clear Ceuta’s Last Migrant Beach Camp Ahead of Royal Visit

Spanish police have cleared the last migrant camp on a beach in Ceuta ahead of a scheduled visit by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

Police backed by soldiers arrived at El Trampolin shortly after 8 on Sunday morning. Migrants at the site were placed on buses and taken to reception centres for processing, while some fled into nearby hills to avoid the operation.

Cleaning crews later dismantled the makeshift tents and cleared the beach and esplanade.

Camp followed mass influx

The camp emerged after more than 70,000 people entered the territory from neighbouring Morocco at the end of July. The influx caused alarm across the European Union and triggered a political crisis in Madrid.

According to the report, scores of people died during the mass influx. Most of those who entered returned within a few days, but thousands remained in the territory and slept rough in streets or on beaches.

About 3,000 people were living at El Trampolin when police arrived. The report also said Spain had faced criticism over the pace of its response, although it did not identify the critics.

Royal visit scheduled

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are scheduled to visit Ceuta on Tuesday, followed by a visit to Melilla. The trip would be the first visit to the two territories by a Spanish monarch since 2007.

Ceuta and Melilla are Spain’s two small North African enclaves, located between Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea. Rabat claims sovereignty over both territories.

The operation at El Trampolin came amid continuing tensions surrounding migration and the status of the enclaves. The report did not specify how many migrants were transported to reception centres or how many escaped into the hills.