Fourteen Spanish autonomous communities have endorsed the government's plan to allocate €25 million to Ceuta for the care of unaccompanied migrant children and teenagers after the mass entry of minors on July 30. Reached during a meeting with the Ministry of Youth and Children, the decision received broad support from regions governed by the Partido Popular (PP), with the impressive exceptions of Castilla y León, Extremadura, and Aragón. These three regions, where Vox manages child welfare policies, formally rejected the measure and did not attend the session. They also continued their absence from previous preparatory meetings.
Despite backing the financial transfer, several PP-led territories described the amount as inadequate for the scale of the challenge. Madrid's regional councillor for Family, Ana Dávila-Ponce de León, argued that €25 million would cover only two months of care for the more than 1,500 minors currently in Ceuta. She also insisted that all minors should be returned to their families in Morocco, opposing relocation to mainland Spain or distribution among other regions.
The Sectoral Conference, the basic forum for coordination between the central government and the autonomous communities on child welfare, focused on two agenda items: the €25 million transfer and the situation of minors in Ceuta. PP regions objected to discussing the latter, saying it had been added irregularly, and the Ministry ultimately withdrew the topic. Representatives from Andalucía (PP), Madrid, and the Canary Islands (co-governed by CC and PP) attended in person, while Galicia, Cantabria, La Rioja, Murcia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla joined remotely. Socialist-led Navarra and Catalonia were present, as were the Basque Country (PNV), Asturias (PSOE), and Castilla-La Mancha (PSOE) via video link.
The meeting highlighted four distinct positions: Vox's boycott, PP's conditional participation, and full cooperation from the remaining five regions. Ceuta, Melilla, and the Canary Islands formed a separate bloc, seeking to share responsibility for the minors with other territories. The government maintains that returning children to their families is the priority, but acknowledges that repatriation is often delayed while families are located or safe conditions in Morocco are secured. The Ministry proposes immediately redistributing minors across Spain, allowing identification and interviews to proceed in different regions before decisions on repatriation or continued care.
Uncertainty remains over the exact number of minors in Ceuta. NGOs have cited figures as high as 4,000, while the Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, mentioned more than 2,900. After removing duplicate records, the Ministry of Youth and Children now estimates the number at 1,500, although some children remain unregistered or unidentified. The Ministry has also proposed urgently transferring 500 girls to private NGO facilities on the mainland, but says Ceuta, as their legal guardian, must authorize any such move.
In recent months, Ceuta has faced intense pressure from the influx of unaccompanied minors, as local authorities and NGOs struggle to provide adequate shelter and support. The debate over funding and responsibility reflects broader tensions between regional and national governments over migration policy. As noted in a related report, the government is also preparing to relocate hundreds of vulnerable migrant girls from Ceuta to mainland Spain, reflecting the urgency of the situation.
Spain's approach to unaccompanied migrant minors is shaped by national law and international obligations. Autonomous communities are responsible for the care and integration of these children, while regions such as Ceuta and Melilla face disproportionate challenges because of their geographic location and border status. The current funding package is intended to address immediate needs, but disagreements over distribution, repatriation, and long-term solutions persist among Spain's regions and political parties.
