After the death of 96 people: Spain will transfer 500 children from Ceuta to the mainland
About 500 minors will be transferred from Ceuta to mainland Spain after at least 96 people were killed during a mass crossing from Morocco at the end of July. The move marks a shift in Madrid's position, comes against the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis in the enclave, and is expected to spark a confrontation with right-wing parties opposed to their reception.
The Spanish government backtracked today, Wednesday, on its position and announced that it would allow the transfer of about 500 child migrants from Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa, to mainland Spain. The decision was made against the backdrop of the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where about 5,000 migrants remained after the mass crossing attempt from Morocco at the end of July, and following another attempt to reach its territory over the weekend.
On July 30, more than 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco to Ceuta, an event that sparked tension within the European Union and led to harsh statements against immigration by far-right parties around the world. Most of the migrants have since returned to Morocco, but at least 96 people were killed in the attempt to reach European territory. Thousands of others, including many unaccompanied minors, remained in the enclave.
According to Spanish law, the state is obligated to protect unaccompanied minors and care for them until the age of 18. Accordingly, the Spanish Ministry of Youth and the government of Ceuta are formulating an emergency plan to transfer about 500 of the most vulnerable children, especially girls and young women, to the mainland. As part of the plan, non-governmental organizations and child protection agencies will take over the care of the minors, without necessarily transferring guardianship over them to the regional governments in Spain.
The Secretary of State for Children, Ruben Perez Correa, has been in Ceuta since Sunday trying to resolve the crisis, in which hundreds of children are living on the streets and surviving on aid provided to them by the residents of the enclave. This is a change from the position presented by the Spanish Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, just on August 13:
"Anyone who enters Ceuta or Melilla illegally knows that they will be returned, because Spain and Morocco are working together for this. They will not reach the peninsula, not the European continent, and will not remain in Ceuta or Melilla indefinitely."
The decision to transfer the children is expected to spark a political confrontation in Spain, because some regions governed jointly by the conservative People's Party and the far-right Vox party are reluctant to accept the quota of minors allocated to them or oppose it. The People's Party rejected the government's plan and argued that the children's place is with their families.
The announcement of the plan was published just hours after the European Commission stated that, in accordance with European law, all migrants who entered illegally must be returned to Morocco. The Commission's spokesperson for home affairs, Markus Lammert, clarified that this also applies to "unaccompanied minors." The conflicting messages stem in part from the fact that the new European migration pact has not yet been implemented into Spanish law, and therefore local legislation requiring the protection of unaccompanied minors is still in effect.
According to the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion and Migration, as of March, there were 21,104 young people aged 16 to 23 under state care, of whom about 3,500 were under 17. Over the weekend, Moroccan police arrested 111 people who tried to reach Ceuta, following reports on social media calling for another mass crossing on August 15. Moroccan police used tear gas to disperse groups of migrants who had gathered on hills about three kilometers from the border.
Madrid has since installed a maritime barrier and sent more than 500 additional police officers from mainland Spain, thereby increasing the number of police in Ceuta to more than 1,600. The Interior Ministry announced that the forces would remain in place as long as necessary. Grande-Marlaska clarified that migrants who entered illegally would not be allowed to remain in the enclave, move to mainland Spain, or receive legal status — except in rare cases of extreme vulnerability. Alongside this, the plan to transfer the 500 minors now sets a significant exception to this position.
