Spain’s government expects to begin transferring unaccompanied migrant children from the North African enclave of Ceuta to mainland Spain within weeks as it seeks to ease pressure on the territory’s overcrowded reception centres following last week’s mass border crossing.
Youth Minister Sira Rego said authorities had registered 1,342 unaccompanied minors since the July 30 migration surge, when as many as 72,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco by land and sea. Spanish officials said dozens of people died during the crossings, although most migrants have since returned to Morocco.
Rego said additional personnel had been deployed to support the response, while two schools had been converted into temporary shelters and more facilities were being assessed to accommodate the children.
“I think it might only be a matter of a few weeks before we start seeing minors transferred to and welcomed on the mainland,” Rego told reporters during a visit to Ceuta.
She said priority would be given to girls and children under the age of 13.
The proposed transfers have drawn criticism from Spain’s far right opposition, while regional governments on the mainland, which oversee migrant reception services, have expressed concerns about additional arrivals.
Morocco has said it is prepared to cooperate with Spain and European partners in returning unaccompanied minors. Rego said Spain would assess each case individually, stressing that the rights and welfare of the children would remain the government’s priority.
“Spain has no hurdles. What Spain will do is safeguard children’s rights,” she said, adding that authorities would facilitate family reunification whenever it was in the child’s best interest.
Rego also noted that the profile of migrant children arriving in Ceuta has changed since the previous major border crisis in 2021, with more girls and younger children among recent arrivals.
Ceuta’s regional leader, Juan Jesus Vivas, said facilities designed to accommodate about 90 children were currently housing around 1,100 unaccompanied minors who had arrived before the latest migration surge.
Non-governmental organisations and local advocacy groups estimate the actual number of unaccompanied minors in Ceuta could be significantly higher.
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