Spain Identifies 2,000 Minors Who Entered Ceuta During July Border Crisis

Rabat – Spanish authorities have identified around 2,000 minors who entered Ceuta from Morocco during the mass border crossing on July 30 and 31, as officials seek to resolve their cases with family reunification as the preferred route for return. The figures were provided Monday by Spanish Minister of Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres, who has led the government's coordinated response to the crisis in Ceuta. In an interview with Cadena SER, Torres said authorities had expanded accommodation capacity across the enclave from fewer than 800 places to more than 3,500. An additional 50 staff members have also joined the teams responsible for the initial assessment of those who arrived, while regular meal services have resumed. The measures form part of an effort to bring the situation under control and move cases through the system more quickly. For the minors, however, the process carries particular legal safeguards. Torres said authorities would first seek to reunite children with their families in Morocco whenever possible. 'The priority is family reunification,' he said, while recalling the legal consequences of Spain's previous attempt to return Moroccan minors from Ceuta through an expedited procedure. The reference is to the 2021 crisis, when thousands of people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco within a few days, including a large number of unaccompanied minors. Spanish authorities later faced legal challenges over the rapid return of some of those children. A court in Cádiz ruled that Salvadora Mateos, who served as Spain's Government Delegate in Ceuta at the time, and Mabel Deu, then vice president of the Ceuta government, had committed prevarication over the returns. The court found that the procedure failed to respect the minors' rights and the safeguards required under Spain's immigration law, describing the returns as arbitrary and manifestly unfair. That precedent remains particularly relevant as Spain deals with the latest influx. Rather than a blanket return, each minor's circumstances must be assessed, and the appropriate legal procedure followed. Torres said the government's immediate priority has been to expand the city's capacity and speed up the processing of cases. The identification of 2,000 minors represents a major step, but their eventual return will depend on family circumstances, individual assessments and the legal requirements that govern the transfer of minors to Morocco. Tags: Ceutaceuta borderceuta mass migration