Spain plans to dismantle migrant shelters in Ceuta after 13,000 return to Morocco

Saiz defended the government’s handling of the crisis, saying it had followed both the law and humanitarian principles.Spain is preparing to dismantle temporary migrant accommodation in Ceuta after about 13,000 people returned to Morocco following the migration crisis, Spanish Migration Minister Elma Saiz said Monday.

The government hopes to remove the temporary facilities “as soon as possible,” describing the move as an important sign that normal life is returning to Ceuta after months of pressure on its reception system.

Speaking at the Prisa World in Progress forum in Barcelona, Saiz said the government had expanded Ceuta’s reception capacity from 500 places to 7,500 in response to the crisis.

The Spanish government is scaling back the facilities as migrants have already returned to Morocco, making further administrative processing unnecessary.

“About 13,000 people have returned to Morocco,” Saiz said. She added that authorities no longer need to process those cases because the migrants have already gone back.

The planned dismantling comes as Spanish authorities seek to wind down emergency arrangements established after a large influx of migrants into Ceuta, while questions remain over the treatment and living conditions of those still in the city.

Saiz defended the government’s handling of the crisis, saying it had followed both the law and humanitarian principles.

“The Spanish government, from the very beginning, has responded based on something as fundamental as legality, of course, but also humanity,” she said.

Her remarks come amid criticism of the treatment of migrant minors in Ceuta. Recent reports by Spanish outlets described children left outdoors after police removed their tents.

Other reports have documented allegations that military personnel used pepper spray against migrant children as they walked through the city or returned from buying food.

The government has not provided a specific date for dismantling the remaining facilities. Saiz said the process would move forward as the need for temporary accommodation declines, presenting their removal as a sign that the emergency phase in Ceuta is coming to an end.