Spain’s Youth Minister, Sira Rego, has said most unaccompanied minors who remained in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after a major border breach will be allowed to stay in the country.
The development comes despite an earlier position from the Spanish government that those who entered the territory illegally would be returned to Morocco.
More than 80,000 people crossed into Ceuta in July during what authorities described as an unprecedented breach of the border. Officials estimate that between 5,000 and 10,000 people remain in the enclave as Madrid works to establish their identities and determine arrangements for returning them to Morocco.
About half of those still in Ceuta are believed to be unaccompanied minors.
Rego said Spanish law provides protections for children regardless of their nationality or immigration status, adding that most of the minors had expressed a desire to remain in Spain.
“Most of them want to stay in Spain and they are going to stay, of course. There is a law that protects them,” Rego told Spanish radio network Cadena SER.
“Our duty is to protect them,” she added.
The minister said many of the children had escaped violence and other extreme conditions, making their circumstances particularly vulnerable.
She defended what she described as an approach centred on the rule of law and empathy, while criticising what she called the “trivialisation of evil” in political discussions surrounding the issue.
Rego belongs to the further-left wing of Spain’s governing coalition, which also comprises more moderate political parties.
Her comments had not been confirmed by Spain’s Interior Minister at the time of the report.
The Spanish government faces legal challenges over the proposed return of minors because children are entitled to specific protections under the country’s laws.
At the same time, Madrid has maintained its commitment to preventing further unauthorised crossings into the European Union’s Schengen area.
The issue has generated tension among some residents of Ceuta, with demonstrations held in the enclave over the continued presence of migrants.
During some of the protests, demonstrators were heard chanting, “No asylum for the invaders.”
Rego also departed from the government’s usual messaging by acknowledging difficulties in securing cooperation from Moroccan authorities over the return process.
“It is not common for us to receive a smooth response from Morocco, and this is usually a problem,” she said.
