Spanish government admits most Ceuta migrant children will stay in Spain

The central government has shifted from pledging swift family reunification for the unaccompanied minors who entered Ceuta to accepting that most will stay in Spain. Ángel Víctor Torres, minister of Territorial Policy, accused Ceuta mayor Juan Jesús Vivas and the PP of hindering transfers to the peninsula. Sira Rego, minister of Youth and Childhood, confirmed that the majority of the children are expected to remain, while the government prepares reunification files despite Morocco’s silence on around 600 cases.

So far, only 107 minors have been moved to the mainland through family reunification and 181 have been placed in other autonomous communities, with 63 dossiers sent to Morocco. The discrepancy between early estimates of thousands of children and one outlet low relocation numbers has intensified tensions between Madrid and the Ceuta administration.