Spanish authorities launched an early-morning security operation on 27 September that dismantled a sprawling makeshift camp next to Ceuta’s critical desalination plant. More than 350 National Police officers cordoned off Benítez Beach at 08:00 and relocated some 250–300 migrants to a temporary holding area at the site of the former Guano factory, while 50 of the most vulnerable were bussed to tents at the port. Officials said the encampment, which had grown rapidly since the late-July mass crossing from Morocco, posed a dual threat: it sat atop the security perimeter of the city’s only freshwater facility and it left its residents dangerously exposed to autumn storms. Once the beach was cleared, municipal crews began removing shacks, disinfecting the sand and erecting a two-metre fence designed to stop future settlements from springing up so close to the desalination pipeline. The operation unfolded without serious incident, though police reported two arrests linked to an alleged assault that took place earlier in the week. Ceuta’s Vice-President for the Environment, Alejandro Ramírez, said the city would keep a permanent security detail on site “until the migratory pressure recedes and the plant is fully protected”. From a mobility perspective, the clearance is meant to safeguard a strategic infrastructure that supplies drinking water to 85,000 residents, including thousands of business travellers and military personnel who rotate through the enclave each year. For migrants, the move signals a tougher stance on informal settlements; humanitarian organisations now fear overcrowding in existing reception centres could worsen. Companies that send staff to Ceuta—including shipping lines, logistics operators and Spanish defence contractors—are being advised to monitor local security notices. Travellers should expect ID checks at roadblocks around the desalination plant and possible traffic delays on the coastal ring road while clean-up work continues.
Source: Diario de Navarra / Canal Sur
