Over 30 migrants found hidden in safe houses in Ceuta, Spain

Spain's National Police have located more than 30 migrants hidden in several safe houses in the Príncipe neighbourhood of Ceuta, in an operation by UCRIF that remains open and has already led to one arrest.

The National Police have located more than **30 migrants** hidden in several safe houses in the Príncipe neighbourhood of **Ceuta**. The operation is being carried out by the Central Unit for Illegal Immigration Networks and Document Fraud (**UCRIF**), according to police sources quoted by **EFE**. The properties were being used to facilitate irregular immigration.

## Overcrowded, squalid housing

The migrants found were reportedly living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions inside these properties. The investigation focuses on flats where people known to have arrived in late July were believed to be staying. The Regional Police Headquarters has confirmed that the operation remains open and has not been closed.

## One arrest and an operation still ongoing

The operation has so far led to the arrest of one person accused of an alleged offence against the rights of foreign citizens. The operation is still under way, so further arrests and more discoveries in the same area cannot be ruled out.

## What is UCRIF and why it operates in Ceuta

UCRIF is the police unit specialised in illegal immigration networks and document fraud. Ceuta is one of Spain's two autonomous cities in North Africa, along with Melilla, and one of the irregular entry routes into the European Union. The existence of safe houses in the Príncipe neighbourhood is not a new phenomenon, but the operation remains open and any information about arrests or people found may change.