Transfer of more than a thousand migrants in Ceuta to a new reception center in Los Rosales

“Are they returning us to Morocco?” asked Amin, 25, when he saw the police operation. It was just after seven in the morning when several dozen members of the National Police woke up the migrants who had been sleeping on the street for weeks, at the doors of one of the official reception centers, in Loma Colmenar, waiting for a free place. The agents have informed them that they were going to be transferred to a newly built facility and the relief for the several hundred migrants has been instantaneous. “It is voluntary,” they have been warned. Everyone has agreed to leave the streets.

Even at night, they have organized them into groups at the nearby roundabouts, to direct them on foot to the Los Rosales neighborhood. In total, there are more than a thousand men of mostly North African origin, who crossed the border at the end of July. The space they occupied, close to the neighborhood homes, was one of the most collapsed in the city and was causing the most complaints among neighbors due to the unsanitary conditions.

The road between both locations has been developed without serious incidents, despite the large number of people who walked the streets of Ceuta, loaded with blankets, bags and other belongings, for more than a kilometer and a half before dawn. In about forty minutes, they have arrived at the new location, with the capacity to accommodate 864 people. As soon as they saw the white tents of the baggage, many began to applaud in a sign of joy, “we don't want Morocco, long live Spain, long live La Roja, thank you!”, they said.

864 new places

The Rosales center is a space enabled by the Government, with dozens of white tents supplied with bunk beds and showers; located a few meters from a newly built daycare center, which was scheduled to open this year. The construction of the center caused protests by some residents of Los Rosales, who refused to share space due to its proximity to the children's center. Finally, the students and teachers of the public center, dependent on the autonomous city, have been distributed to other centers.

Upon arrival at the reception center, the migrants have been searched, to remove razor blades and other prohibited objects. “Hey, be careful, that's a minor,” one of the agents warned, pointing to the queue to access the facility. Although the center is intended for adults, finally a small number of minors who were in the crowd have also been allowed access, who will then be transferred to the centers set up for the unaccompanied.

Members of the Ministry of Migration and Social Security were present in the operation, whose head, Elma Saiz, has coordinated the transfer from Ceuta together with the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres. The land of the new settlement is owned by the State Society for Land Promotion and Equipment (SEPES) and has been transferred by the Ministry of Housing.

However, not all migrants have found a place. About two hours after arriving at the center, the last to be taken to Los Rosales were waiting one hundred meters from the location, and the Police have informed them that it was already full. “And back again with all this?” some shouted, hoisting blankets and bags with their things.