Spain's government expects to transfer some migrant minors from overcrowded reception centres in the North African enclave of Ceuta to the Spanish mainland within weeks, easing the migration crisis in the territory following last week's deadly border rush, Youth Minister Sira Rego said on Friday, according to Reuters.
On 30 July, as many as 72,000 migrants crossed illegally into Ceuta from Morocco by sea and land, with dozens dying in the rush, according to Spanish authorities, following weeks of smaller arrivals. Most have since returned, but hundreds of unaccompanied minors remain in Ceuta.
Rego said 1,342 minors have been registered so far, and additional staff will be brought in to help. She acknowledged what she described as painful images of children sleeping rough on Ceuta's streets, and said two schools had been opened, with further sites being assessed as potential reception centres. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Ceuta, she said transfers to the mainland could begin within a few weeks, adding that girls and children under 13 were being prioritised, and describing the situation in Ceuta as still difficult but gradually returning to normal.
The far-right opposition has objected to transferring minors to the mainland, where regional authorities are responsible for reception.
Judicial hurdles
Morocco has said it is ready to cooperate with Spain and other European partners on the return of unaccompanied minors who crossed into Ceuta last week. Rego said Spain would evaluate Morocco's offer to repatriate the children on a case-by-case basis. According to Reuters, the Spanish press agency EFE cited a Moroccan diplomatic source as saying Spanish administrative and judicial hurdles were complicating the children's return.
Rego rejected that characterisation, saying "Spain has no hurdles." She said Spain's priority was to safeguard children's rights, explaining that specialised teams would assess each child individually to determine their best interests, with family reunification facilitated wherever possible.
Rego said the profile of child migrants had changed since the last major border rush in Ceuta in 2021, when 8,000 people crossed. She said more unaccompanied girls and very young children had arrived this time.
Ceuta's local government head, Juan Jesus Vivas, said the territory's modest facilities could host up to 90 children but were now saturated, with around 1,100 unaccompanied minors having arrived even before the border rush. NGOs and resident groups say the true total could run into the thousands.
Source: Reuters
