The National Police has begun the operation to transfer hundreds of migrants settled in the shantytown of Benítez beach, in Ceuta, to the Temporary Attention Center for Foreigners (CATE), located in the Tarajal warehouses, in order to proceed with their registration.
Since 7:00 AM, more than a dozen police vans have been deployed in the area. In addition, agents have been positioned at the end of the promenade that connects with the urban center to prevent new stampedes like the one recorded during the transfer of 1,800 people to the Port.
In parallel, more than five vans have been stationed at Trampolín beach, very close to Benítez, to prevent part of the more than 4,000 migrants who sleep there from going to Benítez alerted by the noise of the operation.
Minutes before 8:00 AM, around fifty riot police accessed the sand and began to wake the migrants. "Grab your things and get out," they indicated. The occupants have been leaving the shacks with their belongings without showing resistance.
The agents have organized the migrants into lines before escorting them to the promenade, where buses responsible for their transfer to the CATE are expected to arrive imminently.
According to police sources cited by Europa Press, the Police will take them by bus to the Temporary Attention Center for Foreigners (CATE), where they will be identified by the National Police.
The same sources indicate that it is expected to cordon off access to Benítez beach from the area of the Desalination Plant to prevent it from being occupied again after the eviction, something that has already occurred previously in the Trampolín area.
People located inside the water conduit
The eviction of Benítez responds to "security reasons," as this point is located at the outlet of a dam where water is evacuated when the reservoir reaches its maximum capacity with the rains. The rainy season began this Monday.
According to the police sources consulted, the National Police has introduced drones into the conduit that carries water from the reservoir to Benítez and, using thermal cameras, have confirmed that there are people living inside.