Spanish authorities have identified 2,500 unaccompanied minors in Ceuta since the mass arrivals to the city on July 30 and 31, as the Spanish government prepares to transfer 500 girls to mainland Spain in the coming weeks.
The figure marks a sharp increase from the number of minors registered in the days following the arrivals. Authorities reported that 528 minors had been identified by Aug. 5, rising to 1,342 on Aug. 7, 1,527 on Aug. 11 and 2,168 on Aug. 18 before reaching the latest total of 2,500.
Spanish police are responsible for identifying the minors and referring them to Ceuta’s child protection services, which are legally responsible for their accommodation and care.
Before the late-July arrivals, Ceuta was responsible for about 750 unaccompanied minors. That number has since increased significantly, placing additional pressure on the city’s already limited reception capacity.
Minors moved to temporary shelters
The minors have been accommodated at several facilities, including the La Esperanza center and the Nueva Esperanza hostel in the Tarajal area, as well as temporary facilities set up in the Príncipe area.
Spanish authorities have also made two educational facilities available to Ceuta’s authorities for use as temporary accommodation as the city struggles to accommodate the influx.
The situation has placed particular pressure on facilities responsible for housing unaccompanied minors, prompting authorities to expand temporary reception capacity.
500 girls to be transferred to mainland Spain
The Spanish government’s plan includes the transfer of 500 unaccompanied girls from Ceuta to reception facilities in mainland Spain.
The program is aimed at unaccompanied girls, who are estimated to number about 600 among the minors currently in the city.
The transfers are part of a broader reception plan for unaccompanied minors, with administrative guardianship expected to remain with Ceuta’s authorities while the children are accommodated outside the city.
The measures include placing girls in specialized reception centers, as well as other arrangements such as foster care and family reunification when relatives are identified and deemed able to provide adequate care.
Authorities are expected to assess each child’s circumstances individually under Spain’s child protection framework.
€25 million in emergency funding
The Spanish government has allocated an additional €25 million to Ceuta to cover the costs of housing and caring for the unaccompanied minors who arrived in the city.
The funding is expected to cover temporary accommodation, social services, health care and the transfer of minors to other parts of Spain.
The central government and Spain’s autonomous communities are also expected to hold a sectoral conference during the final week of August to discuss the distribution of children and adolescents to regions facing pressure on their reception capacity, including Ceuta.
The transfers are being organized under Spain’s system for redistributing unaccompanied minors among autonomous communities, which provides for a shared and mandatory reception framework.
Political debate over the minors
The situation continues to fuel tensions between Spain’s central government, Ceuta’s authorities and several autonomous communities as preparations for the transfer of girls move forward.
The Ministries of Inclusion and Youth and Children are expected to provide further details on the measures being taken during special sessions of Spain’s Congress scheduled for later this month.
The latest figures highlight the scale of the challenge facing Ceuta, where the number of unaccompanied minors under the city’s care has more than tripled since the mass arrivals at the end of July.
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