Migrants Rebuild Tent Settlement on Ceuta Beach After Eviction Attempt Fails

A rapid attempt by Ceuta’s authorities to dismantle the migrant camp on Trampolín beach collapsed as the displaced population reconstructed a tent settlement within 24 hours, turning the shoreline into a dump of “kilos” of garbage. The arrival of roughly 80,000 migrants from Morocco last month created a lasting presence of several thousand people, including around two thousand unaccompanied minors, in the Spanish enclave.

Public health concerns have intensified after tuberculosis cases were identified, prompting the Ministry of Health to send vaccines for chickenpox, diphtheria, polio and tetanus, while Health Minister Mónica García dismissed accusations of xenophobia. Local physician Guadalupe Sánchez described the beach as polluted with excrement and other waste. Data from the General Council of the Judiciary show a sharp rise in sexual assaults, with nine incidents in the first half-month after the influx, an increase of over 800 percent. The situation follows a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that prevents immediate return of sea-arriving migrants, a loophole exploited by those crossing from Morocco.