Spain hopes to transfer migrant minors to mainland within weeks

MADRID, Aug 7 - Spain's leftist government expects to transfer some migrant minors from overcrowded reception centres in the North African enclave of Ceuta to the mainland within weeks, alleviating the migration crisis in the tiny territory after last week's deadly border rush, Youth Minister Sira Rego said on Friday.

On July 30, as many as 72,000 migrants illegally crossed into Ceuta from Morocco by sea and land, with dozens dying in the rush, according to Spanish authorities, after weeks of smaller arrivals. Most have since returned but hundreds of unaccompanied minors remained in Ceuta.

Rego said 1,342 minors had been registered so far and more staff would be drafted in to help the effort. She acknowledged the "painful images" of children sleeping rough on Ceuta's streets, and said two schools had been opened and more spaces would be evaluated as potential reception centres.

"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 trip to Ceuta.

"We are prioritising girls, and boys and girls who are under 13," she said, describing the situation in Ceuta as still challenging but "gradually returning to normal".

The far-right opposition has raised objections to transfers to the mainland, where regional authorities are in charge of 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.

Spain will evaluate Morocco's offer to repatriate the children on a case-by-case basis, Rego said. Spanish press agency EFE cited a Moroccan diplomatic source as saying Spanish administrative and judicial hurdles complicated the return of children.

"Spain has no hurdles," Rego said. "What Spain will do is safeguard children's rights," she added, explaining that specialised teams would assess each child to determine what was in their best interests and that family reunification would be facilitated whenever possible.

Rego said the profile of child migrants had changed in the past five years since the last major border rush on Ceuta in 2021, when 8,000 people crossed the border. .

"More unaccompanied girls have arrived, as well as more very young children," she said.

Ceuta's local government head Juan Jesus Vivas said the modest local facilities could host up to 90 children, and were now saturated by roughly 1,100 unaccompanied minors who arrived before the border rush.

NGOs and resident groups say the total number of minors could be several thousand. REUTERS