Madrid overrules Ceuta authorities to set up migrant camp at port

MADRID – Spain’s left-wing government in Madrid has taken control of the port in the North African exclave of Ceuta amid a dispute over the accommodation of migrants in the territory.

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Transport Minister Óscar Puente signed an order authorizing the construction of a provisional tent camp for migrants in the port area, state broadcaster RTVE and other Spanish media reported on Saturday.

Puente thereby overruled a contrary decision by local authorities. The ministry did not initially respond to a request for comment.

The regional government, led by Juan Jesús Vivas, president of the exclave bordering Morocco, had spoken out on Friday against the establishment of such a tent camp in the port area. It argued that the port was vital for supplying the exclave, and that there was also a large fuel depot nearby.

Protests by local residents

Local authorities had previously also opposed the temporary accommodation of migrants in a disused factory, a former military hospital or sports centers.

A further camp for around 900 people is currently being set up in the Los Rosales district, where residents have also staged protests.

On July 30 and 31, around 72,000 migrants swam from Morocco to Ceuta or climbed over border fences, according to government figures.

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Most returned within hours. However, around 5,000 migrants were still in the territory – a land area of roughly 18 square kilometers (7 square miles) – more than a month later. Of those, 1,200 are minors, the government said.

Demonstrations and attacks on migrants

Many of Ceuta’s more than 83,000 residents are angered by the prolonged presence of thousands of migrants. Protests occur repeatedly, and there are sometimes violent attacks on migrants.

Like the regional administration under Vivas, many residents are calling for the migrants to be deported immediately to Morocco.

Spain is legally obliged, however, to carry out a lengthy case-by-case review. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government is therefore under considerable pressure.

Many also doubt Madrid’s account that Morocco’s government had nothing to do with the mass influx at the end of July.

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This story was originally published September 5, 2026 at 5:31 PM.