Ceuta President Defends Controversial Return of Migrant Minors to Morocco

The President of Ceuta stated that he "fully supports" Vice-President Deu regarding the "assisted return to Morocco of unaccompanied minors, carried out in August 2021 after the migration crisis experienced in our city on May 17 and 18 of the same year". For Juan Vivas, these returns were based on "a legal norm in force", namely the 2007 agreement between Spain and Morocco, and were carried out "in the best interest" of the children, in coordination with the General Administration of the State.

To read: Hundreds of Moroccan Migrant Minors Still Stranded in Ceuta After 2021 Crisis

Vivas added that the action was taken "to respond to a humanitarian emergency", as the city had been invaded by some 14,000 Moroccan migrants, including more than 1,500 minors. The public prosecutor has initiated criminal proceedings against the city’s Vice-President, Mabel Deu, and the government delegate, Salvadora Mateos, for the expulsion to Morocco of 55 minors between August 13 and 16, in violation "of Spanish legislation, the rules and principles of international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child".

To read: Spanish Ombudsman to Investigate Controversial Repatriation of Minors to Morocco

For the public prosecutor, the two political leaders, Mateos and Deu, were "perfectly aware of their illegal behavior", which is why the justice system ordered the suspension of the procedure. Several personalities, including the Ombudsman and international organizations such as the UN, have denounced these "illegal" returns.

To read: Spanish Court Orders Return of 14 Expelled Moroccan Minors to Ceuta

The administrative court requested in March that the General Administration of the State "take the necessary measures" for "the return to Spain of the [unaccompanied] minors repatriated" to Morocco, in violation of Spanish legislation. But the Delegation and the local Executive have appealed the case to the High Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA), stressing that they will not comply with the court’s decision until the final decision is handed down.