On Sunday, the National Police cleared the esplanade of El Guano, the last major irregular settlement in Ceuta (ABC, La Vanguardia, El Mundo, 20minutos, Europa Press). Europa Press speaks of more than 350 officers and some 500 people cleared; eldiario.es and CeutaTV, of around 150 people, most of them minors according to CeutaTV, and of an operation of about 45 minutes. Minister Ángel Víctor Torres, coordinator of the unified command, declared the large settlements dismantled and said the Police will keep operating in the outlying neighborhoods (Infobae, EFE). Robles defended the military in Ceuta against “unfair” criticism (El Mundo). eldiario.es denounces returns to Morocco without any procedure; only that outlet reports it.
Ceuta is an external border of the EU and every operation is read politically, six weeks before the election. The conflicting figures and the absence of an official tally make it hard to know what has happened to the people cleared.
If you live in Ceuta, the debate is in your neighborhoods. If not, what matters is the official tally and whether the allegation of returns is confirmed or denied.
For the Government, dismantling the large camps improves security and the conditions of those who slept there, and anyone not entitled to protection will leave Ceuta.
For those who criticize the operation, dispersing people through the streets and returning them without any procedure does not solve the problem and may violate rights.
Three facts are missing: how many were cleared, how many were minors and where they have gone. Until the Government publishes them, it is wise to treat both the official triumph and the allegation of returns with caution.
ABC, La Vanguardia, El Mundo, 20minutos, Europa Press, Infobae, EFE, eldiario.es, CeutaTV, El Confidencial, Expansión · Oct. 11, 2026
Police clear El Guano, the last major migrant settlement in Ceuta, and the Government declares the large camps dismantled
The Sunday operation is reported with conflicting figures: some 500 people cleared according to Europa Press, around 150 according to other outlets. Felipe VI is scheduled to visit Ceuta and Melilla this week.
The National Police cleared the esplanade of El Guano on Sunday, next to the beach of the same name in Ceuta, the last major irregular settlement of migrants in the autonomous city, according to ABC, La Vanguardia, El Mundo, 20minutos and Europa Press. Europa Press reports a deployment of more than 350 officers and some 500 people cleared; eldiario.es and CeutaTV speak of around 150 people, most of them minors according to CeutaTV, which describes an operation of barely 45 minutes. The figures do not add up, and we have not seen an official tally that clears them up.
Minister Ángel Víctor Torres, coordinator of the operation’s unified command, declared the large settlements dismantled and said the Police will keep operating in the outlying neighborhoods to locate those sleeping on the street, according to Infobae and EFE. According to eldiario.es, the Government maintains that everyone will leave Ceuta if they are not entitled to international protection. The same outlet recalls that sources at the Government Delegation said a day earlier that there was room for everyone in the designated settlements, and that the delegate, David de la Encina, met with residents of the outlying neighborhoods, who pointed to migrants being moved into their neighborhoods.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles praised the work of the military in Ceuta in the face of criticism she considers “unfair” (El Mundo) and, in a message to soldiers deployed abroad, said that “Ceuta and Melilla are utterly Spanish” (ABC). Expansión announces Felipe VI’s visit to both cities, and El Confidencial reports a demonstration over Ceuta called in Barcelona for this Monday, National Day.
There is one allegation we cannot take at face value: eldiario.es claims that dozens of migrants were returned to Morocco without any procedure. It is the version of a single outlet, and we have not seen others confirm it or the Government deny it with data. It is also not known how many of those cleared were minors, how many have moved to reception centers or how many have been left on the street.
Ceuta is the European Union’s external border with Morocco, which is why every operation is read in political terms. The laSexta barometer we cited yesterday places immigration among the three issues that weigh most on the Nov. 29 vote. Today it is worth watching whether the Government publishes a tally with figures, whether the people dispersed through the streets reappear in the outlying neighborhoods and what message the King carries on his visit.