Ceuta uses emergency contracts to expand shelter for unaccompanied minors amid surge

Ceuta’s statutory capacity for unaccompanied foreign minors is 29, but the city was already hosting about 180 before a sudden rise to roughly 800 arrivals in the week prior to the 30-31 July surge. That wave brought the number of minors under the city’s care to nearly 3,000, far exceeding the threshold that triggers a migration contingency. In response, the Ceuta government issued seven emergency contracts covering construction, modular units, sanitation, climate control and bedding, totaling several million euros.

The procurement process was driven by technical reports from the city’s Minor’s Area, an engineering assessment and the contracting department, with no evidence that President Vivas or his team personally chose the firms. While the central government maintains that Ceuta must provide immediate care, it also proposes a long-term national framework of up to 6,000 places, arguing the city should not bear the full burden alone.