Spain Launches "Trampoline" Operation to Clear Ceuta's Largest Migrant Camp

Spanish National Police launched Operation "Trampoline" on Sunday to dismantle the largest migrant camp in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where more than 3,000 people have been living in dire conditions for over two months. The operation comes just days before a planned visit by the Spanish king and queen.

Officers from the National Police's special unit (UIP), deployed from Seville, Granada, Malaga and other mainland regions, began clearing tents on Trampoline Beach at dawn. They were joined by another special unit, the UPR, and intelligence officers from Ceuta and other cities.

Police justified the operation by citing conditions at the site itself. The water around Trampoline Beach is contaminated, the area cannot be made safe, and there is a clear sanitary risk, compounded by a rising number of incidents. To prevent clashes or escapes into the hills, officers sealed off all access roads.

Heavy equipment not previously seen in Ceuta was brought in from the mainland this week, including a surveillance drone, two BMR armoured personnel carriers, and a Vamtac S3 off-road vehicle, according to local outlet El Faro de Ceuta. Municipal police had announced road closures between Benitez and Benzú from around 7:30 a.m. The first National Police van arrived shortly after 7:30, with the full deployment beginning around 8:00 a.m. Shortly before, music had been playing in the camp, hawkers were selling goods, and people were just waking up. Some migrants, already nervous, chose to flee into the hills. Around 8:30 a.m., it began to rain.

Police went tent by tent and hut by hut, informing people they had to leave while dismantling the structures. An Arabic interpreter explained where they would be transported. The first phase prioritised women and children, although the vast majority of camp residents are men. Migrants were taken by bus to the CATE centre in the Tarajal area for sorting and identification. The first bus left at almost 9:00 a.m., according to Radio Televisión Ceuta.

Some may choose to return to their home countries, as several people transferred from Benitez did earlier this week. There is currently space at Loma Colmenar, which can accommodate more than 1,000 people, as well as at the port.

This is the third such operation in recent weeks, following two carried out in Benitez. According to the government delegation, more than 3,500 people live in the camp, and the current removal is only the first phase. The main obstacle remains the lack of space. In mid-September, more than 2,000 migrants were left outside the port facility, which has a capacity of 1,700, and they returned to the beaches. The government has set October 15 as the deadline to complete the relocation. The royal visit is scheduled for October 13.

At the end of July, more than 70,000 people arrived in the Spanish enclave from Morocco. Most were sent back within hours.

For now, the buses are rolling, the tents are coming down, and the deadline is looming. But with space still short and thousands still in need of shelter, the question is not whether the camp will be cleared, but where the people will go next.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com