In Ceuta, police remove last immigrant camp on the beach before the king's visit

Spanish police removed the last camp set up by immigrants on the beaches of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, this Sunday (11), two days before an official visit by the king.

The agents arrived at Guano beach around 7 am local time and forced campers to leave their tents and sit in groups. Then they escorted everyone to a bus.

According to local media, the group was taken to a Temporary Assistance Center for Foreigners (CATE) for identification and registration.

With everyone gone, workers began cleaning up, discarding large quantities of makeshift tents, mattresses and personal belongings.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia arrive in Ceuta this Tuesday (13). The visit comes amid tension caused by long-standing friction with Morocco, which claims sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish enclave in North Africa.

The evacuation work began last month, when a temporary shelter, with capacity for 1,700 migrants, was opened at the port.

The Spanish police transferred immigrants living precariously on the beaches of Ceuta to temporary tents in the accommodation and there was confusion.

Images shown by Spanish state broadcaster TVE showed that the police had to act to contain crowds of people who wanted to secure a place at the site.

Migrants who spent the night on the beach waiting for a place in a temporary shelter initially applauded the start of the march, but clashes later broke out over the limited spaces available.

Police fired rubber bullets into the air and hit several migrants with batons before the situation calmed down and the operation resumed.

The immigrants being welcomed in temporary tents set up by the Spanish government are part of the more than 70,000 people who arrived in Ceuta in an immense mass migration at the end of July.

Although most of those who entered Ceuta almost immediately returned to Morocco, local authorities estimate that 13,000 immigrants remained in Ceuta.

Ceuta, which is a Spanish territory in North Africa, has just 18.5 km² and around 80 thousand inhabitants. The local population demands a return to normality and demonstrations occur almost daily.

The central government seeks to speed up the return of migrants, but according to legislation, it must identify each one to determine whether the person is entitled to asylum or can be returned, while thousands of minors must receive special protection.