The Government does not hide its “perplexity” at the halt imposed by the National Court on the transfer to the Port of Ceuta of a large part of the migrants who roam the streets of the autonomous city after the massive entry on July 30 and 31. The Court has ordered the Ministry of Transport to temporarily stop the work to install the temporary camp in the port area where the Government intends to accommodate more than 1,000 of the irregular migrants who still remain in the city.
Read more El Celta falls in Cyprus and transfers its bad start of the season to the Europa League
According to sources from La Moncloa, the Court’s decision “halts an immediate operational solution on the ground.” The same sources point out that “the measure paralyzes a logistical operation that was ready to be executed imminently, which was going to allow the accommodation of 1,700 people, designed with strictly humanitarian and public order criteria.”
The temporary facilities are planned for the area of the Poniente dock of the Port of Ceuta, with the aim of housing, among others, numerous migrants who live in huts on El Trampolín beach.
The judicial decision this Wednesday comes after the Unified Police Union (SUP) filed an appeal requesting the immediate suspension of the installation’s implementation, planned over 16,000 square meters of the Poniente expansion plots of the port, “until the conditions of port compatibility, protection, emergencies, and occupational risk prevention are verified.”
Read more Daily ONCE coupon: check the draw for Wednesday, September 16
The Government defends that these lands within the Ceuta port are “the most suitable” and “have all the safety guarantees to carry out the operation.” La Moncloa understands that guaranteeing dignified reception conditions for the migrants who now sleep on the street “is a priority,” as well as the main demand of the people of Ceuta and the Government of Ceuta, a city that “cannot wait.” That is why it calls for “agility” and “immediate action to provide solutions to this unforeseen situation.”
The union argued that the decision to build it had not been notified or published in the BOE, and justified its opposition on the grounds that accommodating such a large number of people in what is a critical facility posed a risk. “The recent fires recorded in various settlements in Ceuta also highlight the need to previously assess the risks of fire, evacuation, and emergency response, both for the accommodated people and the users and workers of the port as well as for the police who will have to intervene,” the union stated in the press release announcing its legal initiative on Tuesday.
Prior to La Moncloa’s reaction, the PSOE spokesperson in Congress, Patxi López, criticized the Court’s decision, understanding that this solution to the current crisis in the autonomous city should not be “halted.” “It seems to me that when we are looking for solutions, no one should stop the solutions,” he reproached in the corridors of Congress at the end of the plenary session.
Read more Chess analysis | Goodbye to Montecatine