Police on Friday moved hundreds of migrants from the beaches of Ceuta to a temporary camp in the Spanish enclave’s port area, weeks after a record influx into the tiny territory.

During the transfer, the police struggled to contain crowds of people jostling to secure one of the 1,700 places at the new tented site after weeks of living on the beaches.

More than 70,000 migrants streamed into Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented, chaotic surge that left scores dead and sparked European Union infighting over the sensitive topic of immigration.

Most returned in the following hours, but thousands remained in precarious conditions in the small city, sleeping in the streets or in makeshift tents.

Deteriorating conditions have fuelled tensions with local residents, with near-daily protests calling for a return to normality, some of which have drawn support from far-right groups.

Many accuse the government of abandoning the enclave in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.

Police on Friday started rounding up the migrants at 6:30 am (0430 GMT), according to a Spanish government source in Ceuta.

By noon, all places at the new camp had been taken, and the transfer operation had wrapped up, a government source told AFP, bringing the enclave’s total temporary accommodation capacity to 6,000 people.

Ceuta authorities estimate that 13,000 migrants have remained in the 18.5-square-kilometre (7.2-square-mile) territory. The central government says the figure is lower.

The Spanish government went ahead with the transfer despite opposition from the conservative local authority.

“This is a key step,” digital transformation minister Oscar Lopez said Friday, arguing that moving migrants off the beaches would help authorities process cases more quickly and ease pressure on public spaces.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has faced strong criticism over the handling of the crisis. He is also in dispute with Italy, which temporarily reimposed border controls.

The........

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