Ceuta migration crisis intensifies at El Trampolín beach

The migration crisis in Ceuta continues to escalate at El Trampolín beach, where hundreds of migrants, primarily from North Africa, are living in makeshift shelters made of plastic sheeting and umbrellas. Despite a government operation on August 20 that relocated approximately 1,700 people to temporary shelters, hundreds of youths returned to the beach shortly after, complicating sanitation efforts. Local cleaning services report collecting over 500 kilograms of waste daily as the population on the sand continues to grow.

The surge in arrivals is linked to a June 29 Supreme Court ruling, which was widely publicized in July. The ruling established that migrants who enter the territory by swimming cannot be immediately returned without legal guarantees, such as access to a lawyer and interpreter, unlike those who bypass physical barriers. This legal clarification spread rapidly through social media and news outlets, including El Faro de Ceuta and Morocco's TelQuel, encouraging large-scale attempts to cross the border by sea. This resulted in a massive influx of people, with reports indicating tens of thousands attempted the crossing, leading to significant casualties.