Junts per Catalunya wants the Spanish government to hand Catalonia full control over immigration. The party wants the Generalitat to oversee regularization processes and the allocation of certain social benefits, which it proposes limiting to migrants who can demonstrate integration into Catalan society.
The renewed push follows the mass arrivals from Morocco to Ceuta on 30 and 31 July 2026, which have reignited debate over the distribution of unaccompanied minors across Spain. By 22 October, Ceuta authorities were reported to be caring for about 3,390 minors, against an ordinary protection-system capacity of 29, roughly 117 times the usual level. Since 1 August, the city had opened as many as 12 emergency facilities, bringing the total number of operating facilities to 22. Junts spokesperson Salvador Vergés has warned that the party will oppose sending more unaccompanied minors to Catalonia, citing overcrowded reception centers and arguing that other autonomous communities should take responsibility for new arrivals from Ceuta. Vergés says Catalonia has historically received more minors than other regions and that the current situation is unsustainable.
The Generalitat’s Department of Social Rights has expressed willingness to cooperate with the central government, but Junts is seeking to distinguish its position from those of both the Spanish government and the rising far-right party Aliança Catalana. The latter has gained traction with a hardline anti-immigration message that Junts says relies on populism and lacks realistic solutions. Vergés argues that Junts offers a more pragmatic approach, focused on integration and responsible resource management instead of blanket expulsions or inflammatory rhetoric.
The dispute over transfers is unfolding alongside a revised national structure that amends Article 35 of Spain’s Immigration Law. It provides for autonomous communities to receive unaccompanied minors from areas formally declared to be facing a migration emergency, while leaving the administration where a child arrives responsible for immediate protection. The system reflects the different treatment of minors and adults: minors must first be identified and assessed, then placed under care before any transfer or return can be considered. On 18 October, a coordinated operation in Ceuta moved about 500 migrants from several peripheral areas; Minister for Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres said 200 unaccompanied minors were transferred to protection resources run by the autonomous city.
By 23 October, government figures reported by 20minutos put the number of minors registered and receiving care in Ceuta at 3,434, while 181 had been transferred to autonomous communities under Article 35 and 114 were staying with families in mainland Spain. These figures describe separate stages and routes of care, but show that transfers had reached only a small share of the caseload. Torres has characterized the protection of unaccompanied minors as the major problem Ceuta must address before returning to normality. Meanwhile, La Vanguardia reported that Morocco had not responded to Spanish requests concerning family reunification, prolonging the need for accommodation and education, as well as healthcare and guardianship, in Ceuta.
Junts’ proposal would make access to housing and other social benefits conditional on proof of integration, which the party frames as a reward for fulfilling civic duties. Fundamental Rights, such as healthcare for children, would remain guaranteed, while additional support would be reserved for those who actively participate in Catalan society. Junts says the approach is intended to address public concerns about migration and social cohesion without adopting the exclusionary policies advocated by the far right.
The PSC has criticized the party’s position. Deputy Ferran Pedret compared Junts’ rhetoric to the normalization of far-right ideas in French politics. The debate reflects growing political competition in Catalonia, where Junts faces declining electoral prospects and pressure from Aliança Catalana’s rise.
Spain’s system for distributing unaccompanied minors has long been a point of contention among autonomous communities, with Catalonia often receiving a disproportionate share. The pressure in Ceuta has brought these tensions to the forefront as regions negotiate their roles in managing migration flows and the central government seeks to implement emergency redistribution. The broader context includes demographic challenges, such as low birth rates in Catalonia, which some argue make integration policies even more critical to the region’s future stability.
