The Spanish police evacuated a migrant camp in Ceuta / Approximately 3,000 people were transferred to temporary facilities

Spanish police evacuated a migrant camp on Trampolin beach in the North African enclave of Ceuta on Sunday, where approximately 3,000 people had lived for two months in tents and makeshift shelters. The operation comes after the mass influx of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta at the end of July, amid growing tensions in the small Spanish enclave.

The migrants were transferred to temporary accommodation, where they will undergo administrative procedures or be able to return to Morocco, according to a spokesperson for the Spanish Interior Ministry.

More than 72,000 people crossed the border into Ceuta at the end of July. Although most later returned to Morocco, at least 10,000 remained in the enclave, putting pressure on local resources and fueling discontent among the population, which numbers approximately 80,000 residents. On Saturday, locals held a demonstration and called for the departure of migrants sleeping outdoors.

The evacuation comes ahead of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia's visit to Ceuta and Melilla, scheduled for October 13 and 14. It will be the monarchs' first visit to the two territories during the king's 12-year reign, amid long-standing disputes with Morocco, which claims sovereignty over both enclaves.