Ceuta Leader Urges Repatriation of 700 Moroccan Minors After Mass Arrival

The return of these minors to Morocco is "the best option" for them, Vivas told Europa Press, stressing that they would live better "in their country and with their families." "Morocco is not a bankrupt or war-torn country," added the President of Ceuta, who does not consider these returns as "forced repatriations." The Ceuta administration hopes to complete this operation to return the minors to Morocco "within a month or a month and a half," Vivas also said, recalling that in this framework, the Child Protection Service must prepare the file of each of the minors in order to allow the Delegation to process them for their repatriation.

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"It is necessary to work hard to resolve the problem as quickly as possible," said Vivas, who reiterated his commitment to continue working with the Executive, "regardless of political colors." To accelerate the process, the local Executive has already hired twelve agents and eight interpreters who will be responsible for compiling all the available information on the situation of each minor, according to OK Diario.

According to the Immigration Act, the government delegate cannot formally initiate any repatriation procedure until she has this information, on the basis of which she must request from the Moroccan authorities "the family situation" of each child in order to assess whether "the minor will be happy to reunite with his family" or whether it would be preferable "to make him available to the protection services of his country of origin." The delegate has a maximum period of six months to finalize this procedure, and will then have to collect the opinion of the public prosecutor, after having individually heard these minors and offered them legal assistance.

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In total, nearly 700 minors are still residing in the city of Ceuta four months after the migration crisis, Vivas said, specifying that some are being taken care of by the local administration and the others continue to wander the streets. "Assisted return is a procedure that is not provided for in the Immigration Act, but which is designed to respond to situations such as the ones we have experienced. For us, it is not a repatriation, which seems to have a more significant meaning, but rather to facilitate the return of minors after we have made sure that they are not vulnerable," Vivas concluded.