The National Police had to intervene this Monday, August 31, in the vicinity of Loma Colmenar, in Ceuta, to contain hundreds of migrants concentrated near the temporary reception space and to prevent an uncontrolled entry into the facilities. The agents carried out charges and deterrent shots while trying to disperse the people who remained at the accesses.
According to El Confidencial and also confirmed by local media such as El Faro de Ceuta and Antena 3, the tension arose after several days of accumulation of people outside the enclosure, located next to the Hospital Universitario. Many of them had spent the night in the area waiting to access one of the available spots.
The police intervention also forced to reinforce the perimeter of the enclosure and temporarily cut off the road while the agents tried to regain control of the accesses.
Charges to contain hundreds of people
El Faro de Ceuta reported that the Police had to carry out several charges in the vicinity of the bottleneck at Loma Colmenar due to the high concentration of people trying to enter the esplanade.
Part of the migrants had been waiting for hours, and even all night, in the vicinity. The accumulation had ended up occupying sidewalks and part of the road, increasing the pressure on accesses that remained under police surveillance.
When entry for more people to the enclosure was no longer allowed, the agents intervened to contain the crowd and prevent an avalanche onto the facilities.
Deterrent shots at the camp access
Antena 3 has also confirmed that the National Police fired deterrent shots during the moments of greatest tension at the doors of the reception space.
The action occurred when numerous people were crowding at the entrance with the expectation of securing a spot inside the enclosure. The available capacity does not allow for all the people remaining in the surroundings to be accommodated simultaneously.
Some reports mention about 400 entries during this Monday, but that figure has not been officially confirmed and for the moment should be considered an estimate.
The road was temporarily cut off
The pressure in the Loma Colmenar environment also affected traffic. During the police intervention, the road was temporarily closed while the agents tried to disperse the people gathered outside.
Tens of police officers were deployed in the area to contain access and prevent a massive entry into the facility.
Surveillance remains reinforced due to the concentration of people who continue to wait for a spot in the temporary reception facilities.
The Loma Colmenar facility was set up during August
The Loma Colmenar space was prepared during August to expand the resources available in response to the migration crisis in Ceuta. Personnel from the General Command began installing dozens of tents in the esplanade on August 17.
Days later, on August 20, more than 1,200 migrants who were staying on Trampolín beach were transferred to different reception spaces, including the Loma Colmenar facilities.
Since then, the environment has become one of the main concentration points for people who are still waiting to access the resources set up in the autonomous city.
Thousands of people remained in the surroundings
The pressure on Loma Colmenar had been increasing over the last few days. EL PAÍS reported this Sunday that hundreds of migrants were waiting to access the facility and gathered neighborhood estimates that placed between 4,000 and 4,500 people on the nearby streets.
This last figure does not come from an official count, but from local residents, so it should be interpreted only as an estimate of the magnitude of the concentration existing around the center.
The facility had already restricted access for new people on previous days while work continued to expand and prepare the available spaces.
The pressure on reception continues in Ceuta
The incidents this Monday bring the focus back to the capacity of the temporary resources set up to assist the people who remain in Ceuta after the massive arrival at the end of July.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, stated this Monday that the Executive expects to have sufficient capacity to accommodate the people who are still in the city by setting up new spots in the coming days.
While that deployment is completed, the National Police maintains a reinforced presence in Loma Colmenar after a day marked by the charges, the deterrent shots, and the pressure at the access points to the venue.