Spanish authorities are preparing a new site in Ceuta to accommodate hundreds of migrants who remain on the streets following large-scale arrivals in July. <\/p>\n
Workers were setting up two tents in an open area in the Los Rosales neighborhood, next to the Nuestra Senora de Africa nursery school, Anadolu Agency<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n National Police officers were deployed to prevent possible incidents, the report said.<\/p>\n Work on the site began Friday following protests from employees and parents who raised concerns about its proximity to the school.<\/p>\n The nursery is scheduled to open on Sept. 28 and will have capacity for around 176 children aged up to three.<\/p>\n Authorities have already prepared additional sites in Loma Colmenar, La Hipica and the Tarajal industrial area to accommodate migrants who have been sleeping on streets or in mountainous areas because of a lack of shelter.<\/p>\n Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres said Wednesday that establishing such facilities was necessary to enable authorities to identify migrants and subsequently return most of them to Morocco.<\/p>\n The CCOO trade union called for an alternative arrangement that would allow migrants to receive assistance while also addressing concerns raised by families and public services.<\/p>\n The CSIF union, meanwhile, called for a risk assessment and security guarantees before the nursery opens.<\/p>\n According to the Spanish government’s official estimate, around 72,000 people irregularly crossed from Morocco into Ceuta<\/a> on July 30-31.<\/p>\n The unprecedented influx briefly brought the number of migrants entering the enclave to a level almost equivalent to its population.<\/p>\n Government estimates indicate that around 5,000 migrants who arrived during the mass crossings remain in Ceuta, a small Spanish enclave with a population of approximately 80,000.<\/p>\n