Spanish police have cleared a migrant camp from a beach in the North African enclave of Ceuta ahead of a visit by King Felipe and Queen Letizia from October 13 to 14.
The visit comes amid longstanding friction with Morocco, which claims sovereignty over both Ceuta and Spain’s other North African enclave, Melilla.
The Spanish government said more than 72,000 crossed the border from Morocco into Ceuta in late July.
While most of the migrants later went back, at least 10,000 remain in the Spanish enclave in North Africa, straining local resources and fuelling tensions.
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Spanish interior ministry spokesman said police moved migrants from Trampolin beach, where around 3,000 people were living in tents and makeshift homes for two months, to temporary accommodation where they will be processed or can go back to Morocco.
Tensions have persisted over the presence of migrants sleeping rough in the tiny enclave, which is home to 80,000 people.
Locals held a demonstration calling for the migrants to leave.
Reuters
