Last major migrant camp cleared in Spanish enclave of Ceuta

Spain’s National Police deployed Sunday to the El Guano esplanade to clear the last major migrant encampment in Ceuta, according to daily El Pais.

The move came two days before Spanish King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia’s scheduled Tuesday visit to the enclave, which saw a mass arrival of around 72,000 migrants from Morocco on July 30 and 31.

Fewer than 1,000 Moroccans had reportedly been camping in El Guano since encampments on Trampolin and Benitez beaches were cleared.

Although El Guano was seen as the last settlement with a significant concentration of Moroccan migrants, clearing the esplanade would reportedly not mean that all migrants had been removed from the streets.

Hundreds of migrants were still estimated to be wandering the streets of neighborhoods such as El Principe and Los Rosales.

Following police operations to clear the beaches, hundreds of migrants remained in El Guano, awaiting bus transfers either to the Tarajal border crossing for voluntary return to Morocco or to the Temporary Foreigners’ Assistance Center.

More than 500 migrants had remained at the site for the past two weeks, including around 100 minors.

Around 1,700 people were removed from Benitez and Trampolin beaches, the vast majority of whom reportedly chose to return to their country.