Residents and port workers in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta formed a human chain Tuesday evening to protest a new migrant shelter that Spain’s socialist central government is preparing to open near the city’s port, according to reporting by El Faro de Ceuta and Breitbart News.
The shelter, located near the west pier of the Port of Ceuta, is one of several “temporary” facilities established in recent weeks to house migrants who remain in Ceuta following a large-scale border crossing in late July. Spanish outlets report the government intends to house roughly 1,000 people there, many of whom are currently living in shanty tents on BenĂtez and TrampolĂn beaches.
Transfer Described as Imminent
El Faro de Ceuta reported that the transfer of migrants to the new facility appears “imminent,” noting that tents at the site are “practically prepared.” That prospect drew residents and dockworkers to the streets Tuesday evening for a peaceful demonstration and human chain.
Protesters chanted slogans that have become common across Spain since the July crossing, including “Ceuta is not for sale, Ceuta is defended” and “Ceuta, united, will never be defeated.”
One participant, identified by El Faro de Ceuta as Miguel Ăngel Oncina, told the outlet that frustration in the community has been building for weeks. “We’re already fed up â and getting more and more fed up â with what’s happening in Ceuta,” he said, directing criticism at what he described as “the entire government with all its little cronies” over conditions in the city.
Safety Concerns Cited by Residents
Oncina argued that the temporary shelter violates existing port laws and regulations, and said it poses a security risk because of its location â within proximity of three fuel deposits at the Ceuta port, roughly 50 meters from a nearby school, and close to a ship used for transportation.
He told El Faro that residents intend to keep protesting “every time we can,” adding that he considers the government’s actions “not normal.”
“We are citizens of Ceuta, we’ve lived here our whole lives. We are hardworking people, we pay our taxes, we’ve done our military service; we have children; we have grandchildren; we are autonomous, and what we want is the freedom we used to have â which we’re losing, losing it completely,” Oncina said.
He also voiced broader concerns about safety in the city, claiming residents cannot walk the streets freely because “you might run into a thief, you might run into a rapist,” and accusing authorities of mistreating the elderly, women, and children in the community â conduct he said “shouldn’t be allowed in a country that’s supposed to be democratic.”
A woman who took part in the protest and said she works in the area told El Faro she fears for her personal safety and that of her colleagues. “This is a danger to all of us because we have to go around with pepper spray in hand,” she said. “We are afraid, and cannot take it anymore.”
Latest in a Series of Demonstrations
Tuesday’s human chain is the latest in a growing series of peaceful demonstrations by Ceuta residents, many of whom have rejected the continued presence of migrants who remained after the July crossing and are demanding solutions to what they describe as worsening conditions in a city that was once quiet.
The Spanish government has not publicly responded to the specific allegations raised by protesters, and the reporting does not include any statement from officials defending the shelter’s location or addressing the claims about port regulations and proximity to fuel depots and a school. The claims made by protesters â including characterizations of crime and safety in the city â are their own, as relayed to El Faro de Ceuta, and have not been independently verified in the source material.
The proposed shelter is one of several temporary facilities the central government has stood up in Ceuta since the late July border crossing, part of an effort to move migrants off the beaches and into formal accommodations. How long those facilities will remain operational, and how many people they will ultimately house, has not been specified in the reporting.
For residents and port workers in the area around the west pier, the immediate concern is the timing of the transfer, which El Faro de Ceuta describes as close at hand. Protesters say they plan to continue demonstrating as long as the shelter remains slated to open at its current location.
Source: www.breitbart.com â https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/09/16/watch-ceuta-residents-form-human-chain-to-protest-new-migrant-shelter/