Spain’s handling of unaccompanied migrant minors in Ceuta is under renewed scrutiny, as legal experts and NGOs question whether the government is following established child-protection protocols. Lourdes Reyzábal, president of Fundación Raíces, which has supported more than 5,000 children without family protection in Spain, challenges the official account of the recent influx of minors from Morocco. She argues that many children were drawn to Ceuta by the perception of an open border, a message that spread rapidly on social media and was reportedly even encouraged by Moroccan police.
Reyzábal points to a pattern from previous migration waves, when thousands of minors risked their lives to reach Spanish territory, some fleeing persecution through conflict or forced marriage. This time, she says, many children had not initially planned to migrate but were swept up in the mass movement after the sudden opening of the border. She rejects claims that organized crime networks caused the surge, saying that “nobody would pay a mafia to enter through an open door.”
Spanish law requires an individual process before a minor can be returned. Authorities must identify the child and examine their circumstances to determine whether a return serves their best interests, while coordinating with Morocco on family links and suitable care arrangements. A procedural account published by Ceuta TV summarized the requirement: “Before authorizing a return, the police must identify the minor, study their circumstances and determine whether the measure serves the child’s best interests.” Reyzábal and other observers say these safeguards have not always been respected. She describes minors being transported to the border by military personnel and local police, and alleges that some were returned to Morocco without an individual evaluation or legal guarantees, echoing concerns raised during the 2021 crisis.
The scale of the current protection challenge is reflected in figures cited by the Spanish Government in October. Ángel Víctor Torres, Minister of Territorial Policy and the government-appointed single authority for Ceuta, said that “3,434 unaccompanied minors have been registered in Ceuta and are being cared for by the city’s protection system.” The briefing recorded 114 transfers to mainland Spain following family reunification and 181 relocations to reception facilities in other autonomous communities. These transfers within Spain are separate from returns to Morocco: authorities said 63 files had been sent to Morocco to explore possible family reunification, but had received no response. The figures make it impressive to distinguish identification totals from transfers within Spain, which are separate from repatriations.
Spanish authorities have also treated minors separately from adults in the broader operation to return migrants. Government figures in October recorded more than 13,101 people returned to Morocco since 10 August, alongside about 8,000 reception places, of which roughly 6,100 were occupied. The same operational briefing counted 5,400 assessments of adults and 310 involving minors. The government said no child had been returned from Ceuta to Morocco at that point. That position differs from Reyzábal’s allegations, while the legal requirement for an individual assessment remains basic to any proposed return. Reception and protection of unaccompanied minors ordinarily fall to the Ciudad Autónoma de Ceuta, led by President Juan Jesús Vivas; the basic administration manages adult returns.
The current difficulties have a precedent. During the May 2021 Ceuta crisis, when more than 10,000 people entered the enclave from Morocco, Spanish authorities reportedly sent more than 600 requests concerning family reunification or other arrangements for minors. Moroccan authorities did not respond, highlighting the practical obstacle posed by a lack of cooperation when officials must verify a child’s identity and establish safe receiving arrangements, including family links. Delays in those cases continue to inform concerns about overcrowding and the limits of bilateral coordination.
Political divisions have further complicated the situation. Right-wing parties, including Vox, have linked the arrivals to broader debates on immigration policy and called for the immediate return of all unaccompanied minors, often using inflammatory language. Coalition agreements between the PP and Vox in several regions include commitments to refuse the relocation of these children, prompting NGOs to warn of a coordinated boycott of the national child-protection system. Reyzábal says these positions undermine Spain’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and risk leaving vulnerable minors without support or shelter.
Hundreds of children remain outside Ceuta’s official reception system, sleeping rough or hiding for fear of forced return. Some have reportedly been repatriated against their will and described experiencing violence after their return to Moroccan authorities. Reyzábal says family reunification should happen only when it is safe and voluntary. Returning children to situations where their rights may be violated, she adds, is unacceptable under Spanish and international law.
Public statements by political leaders have further inflamed the debate. Some have accused NGOs of collaborating with criminal networks and celebrated the suspension of funding for organizations assisting migrants. Reyzábal says Fundación Raíces has faced threats from far-right groups and pressure from certain authorities, but maintains that the courts have consistently rejected attempts to discredit the organization’s work.
Some have compared the situation with the EU’s response to other migration crises, including the Belarusian border, where the use of migrants as a political tool was widely condemned. Reyzábal says European migration policy has grown increasingly restrictive, with human-rights concerns often sidelined in favor of border control. Despite recent gestures of solidarity in the Spanish parliament, she sees deep contradictions in political debate over migration and child protection.
Many of the minors assisted by Fundación Raíces over the past three decades have built stable lives in Spain despite the trauma they endured. Their experiences show the ability to recover of young migrants and the continuing strain on Spain’s child-protection system. For more context on the political fallout from the Ceuta migration crisis, see this analysis of ministerial hearings and opposition demands: government response to the Ceuta crisis.
Spain’s approach to unaccompanied migrant minors remains contentious, with legal and humanitarian questions entangled in political disputes in Ceuta. The debate carries implications for the country’s reputation and its obligations under national and international law to protect vulnerable children.
