The National Court has ordered the Ministry of Transport to temporarily halt the work to install the temporary camp in the port of Ceuta where the Government intends to house more than 1,000 of the irregular migrants who arrived in the mass crossing on July 30 and 31 and who still remain in the autonomous city. The judicial decision comes after the Unified Police Union (SUP) filed an appeal requesting the urgent suspension of the construction of the provisional facility, arguing 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 persons and the users and workers of the port as well as for the police officers who will have to intervene,” the union stated in the press release announcing its legal initiative on Tuesday.
This Wednesday, the three magistrates of Section VIII of the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the National Court issued a provision ― a judicial resolution that advances a procedure but does not address the substance of the matter ― requiring the Ministry of Transport, headed by Óscar Puente, to send “as a matter of urgency” ― setting a deadline of noon this Wednesday ― the “resolution or order” to set up the camp, “as well as the rest of the documentation contained in the administrative file processed for this purpose.” In the same document, the magistrates inform Puente’s department that “until this urgent precautionary measure is resolved, the referred resolution or order cannot be executed,” which means the temporary halt of the work. Since this is a request for an urgent precautionary measure ― meaning the court does not have to hear the parties before deciding ― a decision is expected shortly, perhaps this Thursday.
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