Spanish police transfer migrants from Ceuta beaches to port facility

Spanish authorities began transferring thousands of migrants from beaches in the North African enclave of Ceuta to a new temporary reception facility at the port on Friday morning, an operation marked by chaotic scenes and the use of police force. The transfer, which started shortly after 6:30 a.m. local time, involved police and military units moving people from the Trampolín and Benítez beaches to the port facility, located about two kilometers away. The operation quickly became difficult to manage. As the first groups from Trampolín beach reached the area of Benítez beach, the number of migrants sharply increased, with some breaking into a run. Officers fired warning shots into the air and struck several migrants with batons during crowd surges as people jostled for limited places at the new site. The situation later calmed, and the transfer resumed with migrants walking in small groups under police escort. The new port facility has a capacity of approximately 1,700 to 1,800 people. However, estimates of the total number of migrants remaining in Ceuta vary.