Spain’s system for redistributing unaccompanied migrant minors from its most pressured territories has relocated more than 1,750 children and teenagers from Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands to mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands over the past year. Approved in August 2025, the mechanism was designed to ease overcrowding at these entry points by sharing responsibility among autonomous communities. Transfers have continued despite legal challenges and political disputes, but the process is under severe strain in Ceuta, where the local government reports caring for 1,200 minors, far beyond its official capacity of 29 places.
The relocation system was activated almost immediately after the government’s decree was published, as Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands requested emergency transfers. Since then, Madrid has received the largest number of minors, more than 300, followed by the Comunidad Valenciana (273) and Aragón (249). At the other end of the scale, the Balearic Islands have taken in four, while Catalonia and Extremadura have received 40 and 43, respectively. The distribution formula considers each region’s population and available resources. The Ministry of Youth and Children updates it regularly.
Ceuta’s situation has become critical. In July, the city warned that arrivals of minors by sea had again overwhelmed its facilities. Since the decree, Ceuta has managed around 650 transfers, Melilla about 70 and the Canary Islands 720, information from data from the central administration. Administrative hurdles can slow transfers, including the requirement for minors to travel accompanied and deadlines of 15 days to formalize each transfer and five days to carry it out. Those time limits are rarely met in practice.
Only Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands can request transfers, as each hosts more than three times its designated capacity. The system distinguishes between minors who arrived before the decree and those who arrived after it, with different timelines for processing their relocation. A reform of Spain’s Immigration Act strengthened the legal structure, allowing emergency transfers when certain regions face acute pressure. The legislative change required complex negotiations, particularly with regional governments led by the Partido Popular. It was finalized after securing support from Junts, which ensured Catalonia’s prior efforts were recognized in the allocation formula.
Official figures published later provide a separate snapshot of the system’s legal and administrative pathways. On 20 October 2026, the Spanish government reported that 181 minors had been relocated to other autonomous communities under Article 35 of the Immigration Act, while another 107 had reached mainland Spain through family-reunification procedures. The government said 3,331 minors remained in Ceuta’s regional child-protection system as of 19 October. These figures cover the situation at that later date and distinguish Article 35 relocations from family reunifications; they do not count transfers during the one-year period described above. The government also said that ordinary responsibility for unaccompanied minors remains with Ceuta’s autonomous authorities.
As the crisis in Ceuta deepens, the city’s administration faces a daunting task. The ongoing influx has pushed local resources to the limit, and the relocation mechanism is currently paused there. The Spanish government says it continues to cooperate with Ceuta and has provided €88 million in additional support for the care of migrant minors. The package includes €25 million approved by the Sectoral Conference on Childhood on 27 August 2026 and €63 million in direct assistance included in a Royal Decree-Law approved on 1 September. A further €2 million was allocated to help Ceuta appoint legal representatives for minors, a function the government links to requirements under new European rules. The situation echoes previous emergencies, including the government’s allocation of €25 million in extra funding to support Ceuta’s response to a surge in unaccompanied minors, as detailed in this earlier report on emergency funding for Ceuta.
Spain’s approach to unaccompanied minors is shaped by national and EU obligations. Autonomous communities provide care and integration, with funding and oversight from the central government. The formula for calculating each region’s share uses population data as of December 2024 and the total number of minors in the national protection system. The government’s October update also recorded 63 cases referred to Morocco, a figure separate from completed family reunifications. It said none of the minors had been reunited with families in Morocco as of 20 October. The figures reflect separate administrative pathways, while continuing pressure in Ceuta shows the difficulty of managing arrivals and distributing child-protection responsibilities among regional and national authorities.
