Spain proposes Ceuta sign agreements with social organisations to relocate unaccompanied minors

Spain is looking to social organisations to help move hundreds of unaccompanied migrant minors out of Ceuta after PP-governed regions rejected taking them into their public protection systems.

The Spanish government is seeking to prioritise the transfer of around 500 girls it considers particularly vulnerable.

Spain's youth and childhood minister, Sira Rego, has proposed that Ceuta sign agreements with social organisations to accommodate the minors at facilities on the Spanish mainland.

The plan would be financed through an extraordinary €25 million allocation for Ceuta due to be approved on Thursday.

Catalonia willing to cooperate

Catalonia has said it is willing to cooperate in receiving minors assigned to the region.

Catalonia's minister for social rights and inclusion, Raúl Moreno, said on Monday the government would "do whatever is appropriate" with any minors assigned to Catalonia, while describing the Catalan reception system as "strong." 

Catalonia, along with most of Spain's autonomous communities, attended a meeting in Madrid with the Spanish youth and childhood ministry on Thursday morning.

Aragón, Castilla y León and Extremadura declined to attend.

Far-right Vox controls responsibility for children's affairs in coalition governments with the conservative People's Party (PP) in all three regions.

Ceuta crisis

Rego’s proposal comes nearly a month after an unprecedented border crisis in Ceuta, when around 72,000 migrants entered the Spanish territory from Morocco on July 30 and 31.

More than 90% were returned to Morocco within 48 hours, according to the Spanish government.

Dozens of people died during the crossings, with Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas putting the death toll at around 100.

Minors

Spain's interior ministry revised down on Wednesday the number of minors registered in Ceuta from 2,900 to around 1,500 after removing duplicate records.

It warned, however, that the figure could rise as identification procedures are completed.

The revised total also includes minors who were already under the guardianship of Ceuta's child-protection services before the current crisis.

According to youth and childhood ministry sources, the arrangement proposed on Thursday would allow Ceuta to retain legal guardianship of the minors, while the social organisations would be responsible for housing and caring for them across Spain. Ceuta has yet to respond to the proposal.

Ahead of the meeting, Madrid's regional minister for family, youth and social affairs, Ana Dávila-Ponce de León, ruled out taking minors into the regions' public protection systems and demanded that the Spanish government "return all minors to their families."

Funding

The €25 million allocation comes on top of the €5.5 million Ceuta received in July from a €35 million fund distributed among the autonomous communities and cities to care for unaccompanied migrant children.

In that allocation, the Spanish government earmarked the largest amounts for territories facing the greatest migratory pressure: €4 million for the Canary Islands, €2 million for the Balearic Islands, €5.5 million for Ceuta and €4 million for Melilla.

PM to appear before Congress

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will chair an extraordinary meeting of the Ceuta situation committee on Friday and is due to appear before Congress to speak about the issue on September 3.