Ceuta Moves 800 Migrants Off the Streets

**Ceuta, Spain** — Early Sunday morning, the roar of police vans woke hundreds of migrants sleeping on the sidewalks of Loma Colmenar in Ceuta. "Is this for us?" asked a young Moroccan man, quickly folding his blanket. "Are they taking us to a center or to Morocco?" It was the start of a major relocation. The Spanish government moved 839 people from the streets of Loma Colmenar to a new temporary shelter in the Rosales neighborhood. This operation comes 45 days after a migration crisis overwhelmed the city. The goal is to clear the streets and identify the thousands of migrants still living outdoors. According to Minister Ángel Víctor Torres, the government plans to complete these transfers in the "coming days." The ultimate objective is to return those whose asylum requests are denied. **A Walk to Safety** At 7:30 a.m., the group began a 40-minute walk to the new camp, escorted by police. The government chose walking over buses to reduce panic. "If we took them by bus, they might think they were going to the border," ministry sources explained. "Walking, they knew they could leave the group if they didn't trust us." The new facility, managed by the NGO CEPAIM, has 864 beds in large tents. While the transfer was mostly peaceful, some migrants in the front of the line were hit with police batons when they pushed too close to the officers. Despite the chaos, many felt relief. "Finally, we are off the street," said one young man as he entered the camp. Another added, "I hope things are better now." Their arrival was met with applause from inside the tents. **The Road Ahead** Authorities plan to move migrants from other informal settlements, such as the beach at El Trampolín and the warehouses of El Tarajal. The government is also building a new camp at the port of Ceuta with space for 1,700 people, though this has sparked protests from local residents. However, unaccompanied minors remain in a desperate situation. Hundreds of children are still sleeping on the streets. While the law requires the city to protect them, many, like a boy named Mohamed, are turned away from adult centers. "Can only adults enter?" he asked. "What happens to the minors?" No one around him had an answer.