Court clears path for migrant camp at Ceuta port

Spain's National Court has ruled that the government can open a temporary migrant reception camp at the port of Ceuta, rejecting a police union's request to halt the project. The court's three judges on Thursday denied the urgent suspension sought by the Unified Police Union (SUP). The union wanted construction of the tent camp stopped until safety, emergency and workplace conditions were guaranteed. The camp will occupy about 16,000 square meters of public land at the port, which is run by the Ministry of Transport. It is designed to hold up to 1,700 people. The court said the Transport Ministry's decision was simply a temporary permit to use the land, requested by the Secretary of State for Migration. The ruling noted that the permit did not set conditions for humanitarian aid or for police work at the site. Instead, the court said, the Interior Ministry will decide security conditions for officers, migrants and other staff there. The Transport Ministry had said it would ask Interior to provide active support and resources to strengthen security. The ruling follows a temporary pause on Wednesday, when judges asked the ministry to hand over the camp's files before deciding. The government delivered the documents the same day. The government had planned to move the first 800 people from the overcrowded El Trampolín beach to the new tents on Thursday morning. That plan can now go ahead. The SUP had argued for alternatives such as a temporary hotel ship, warning that makeshift sites could create new security problems. It also pointed to recent fires at migrant settlements in Ceuta as proof that fire and evacuation risks must be assessed first.