Teen migrants camp near Ceuta police HQ demanding shelter

Since Sunday, a number of unregistered minors have been living on the streets of Ceuta, initially gathering in Plaza Vieja where the crowd grew to about 40 before they left the area on Tuesday following a police eviction prompted by a local business owner’s complaint. The youths then relocated to a nearby street, Paseo de Colón, where a security fence prevents them from approaching the police headquarters. On Tuesday afternoon, several NGOs, including Save the Children, helped transfer some of the teenagers who proved they were 16 years old to an official reception centre, while others stayed without accommodation.

The group staged a protest on Paseo del Revellín on Wednesday, chanting for a child-care centre, and later spent the night on the Ribera beach before being removed by national police. Government officials reported that hundreds of minors continue to await placement in the protection system despite recent efforts to expand shelter capacity.