Spain ignores EU, plans urgent transfer of 500 migrant girls from Ceuta to mainland

MADRID – Spain is preparing the transfer of around 500 unaccompanied migrant girls from Ceuta to mainland Spain as authorities allegedly seek to ease pressure on the enclave following the mass influx at the end of July.Spain’s Ministry of Youth and Childhood is working with Ceuta on a reception plan that would allow the girls to be accommodated in specialized facilities on the mainland without transferring legal guardianship to Spain’s autonomous communities, according to ministry sources cited by Spanish media.The plan includes several measures to speed up the reception of unaccompanied minors, including a proposed royal decree establishing mandatory and solidarity-based reception by the autonomous communities, as well as family foster care.The ministry said the number of girls targeted for the transfer is currently estimated at around 500 but could change as authorities continue to assess the situation.The initiative comes after thousands of migrants entered Ceuta during the mass crossing on July 30 and 31.Spain’s Interior Ministry said it had identified 2,168 minors in Ceuta by Tuesday and transferred them into the care of the Ceuta authorities.The situation has also raised concerns over the safety of migrant girls and women in the enclave. Reuters reported that at least 15 sexual-assault complaints, most involving minors, had been filed following the mass crossings. The planned mainland transfer comes amid a parallel debate over the future of minors who remain in Ceuta.Among the options being considered is a route that would allow child-protection organizations to manage the reception and care of the most vulnerable cases, including the girls, in tailored facilities on the mainland, without the need to transfer guardianship to the autonomous communities.Several autonomous communities have already said they will not take in unaccompanied minors who arrived in the Ceuta mass crossing. The central government has criticized what it calls a lack of “solidarity” shown by these regions.For its part, Morocco last week asked the Spanish government to return the Moroccan citizens still remaining in the enclave.Elma Saiz, Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, told the public broadcaster RNE that the issue is being addressed by Ceuta together with the Department for Children and the autonomous communities. She preferred not to give further details, but insisted on the need to “protect the best interests of the child.”The Socialist politician stressed that “these are girls who are on their own.” She said the minors have been grouped together in safe spaces in Ceuta to prevent cases of sexual violence, after numerous rapes reported in recent days which are already in the hands of the courts.The Social Security minister underlined the need to respect the law and said the government has given Ceuta €25 million to help deal with this situation.Meanwhile, the European Union is backing the return of unaccompanied minors from Ceuta to the African country.”The priority now is for the Spanish and Moroccan authorities to keep the situation under control and guarantee the swift return of all those who remain irregularly in Ceuta,” European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said at a press conference on Tuesday.Lammert stressed that the returns are covered by EU law, adding that they are regulated by “the Return Directive” and, in future, by “the EU Return Regulation.”