Ceuta’s political crisis deepened after the city’s port board, led by allies of President Juan Jesús Vivas, voted to block the use of port facilities to house migrants. The vote came just days after Vivas formally agreed to the plan in meetings with Madrid. The reversal angered the Spanish government: Transport Minister Óscar Puente called it sabotage, and Madrid took control of the port to proceed with the relocation.
Records from two meetings attended by Vivas and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, with basic ministers also present, show that Vivas supported using the port. Minutes reviewed by EL PAÍS confirm that, after sites such as sports halls and a flour factory were ruled out, a military hospital was also rejected. Vivas agreed the port was the only workable option. The government then removed the other locations from the emergency decree, meeting Vivas’s conditions in exchange for his approval. It authorized temporary use of 16,000 m² of the Ceuta port for migrant accommodation under Article 73.3 of the Ports and Merchant Marine Law.
At the first meeting, Sánchez called for calm and solidarity in Ceuta, stressing the need to move migrants off the streets. Vivas agreed and asked for a clear plan to ease pressure on the city. The minutes show a unanimous vote, including Vivas’s, to designate the port for migrant accommodation. The next day, at the National Security Council, Vivas again supported the plan. No one objected before the Council of Ministers finalized the decision.
By Friday, but, the port’s board, under Vivas’s influence, had voted 11 to 4 against using the facilities. The Partido Popular now argues that the port is critical infrastructure and unsuitable for migrants, reversing its earlier position. The government sees the vote as a deliberate attempt to delay the relocation. Madrid was forced to override local control and set up temporary shelters for 1,000 migrants.
The Ministry of Transport said Madrid intervened because of the exceptional situation and the urgent humanitarian need to shelter more than 1,000 migrants. The government’s resolution specified that the designated port area would house tents and provide emergency assistance, while port operations would continue with possible limitations. The ministry said basic authorities’ intervention, which bypassed local opposition, set a precedent for managing Spain’s port infrastructure during crises.
This standoff is the latest in a series of clashes in which Madrid has overridden Ceuta’s authorities, as detailed in a previous report. The episode shows how fragile cooperation between local and national governments can be in Spain’s migration policy, especially when political interests shift quickly.
Ceuta’s port, a basic asset for the enclave, has become the center of a wider debate over how Spain handles sudden migrant arrivals at its borders. Madrid’s decision to take direct control shows its willingness to bypass local resistance when national priorities are involved. For residents, the dispute means continued uncertainty about where migrants will be housed and whether local leaders’ public statements match their actions. Last-minute reversals in a crisis can erode trust and force central authorities to step in.
