Hundreds of Moroccan Migrant Children Still in Ceuta a Year After Crisis

After their mass arrival last May, many minors voluntarily returned to Morocco, while about sixty were repatriated by the Spanish authorities before the suspension of the operation by the Spanish justice system. Several human rights organizations that had denounced the illegal nature of these returns claim that the practice continues.

"The government continues to repatriate migrants, including minors, in violation of the procedures and texts in force," denounces Francesca Fusaro, an activist from No Name Kitchen. This organization has recorded at least six expulsions of minors between October and December. Estimated at more than 700 last September, the minors taken care of in the centers do not exceed more than 370 in January, reports El Pais.

To read: Moroccan Minors in Ceuta Resist Repatriation, Citing Abuse at Home

Many other minors prefer to wander the streets of the autonomous city, waiting for the first opportunity to reach the peninsula. "Every night, they try to get on trucks or ferry engines or board makeshift boats," explains Fusaro. According to the latest data published by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, as of December 28, 2021, 41,632 migrants have arrived irregularly in Spain, an increase of 0.4% compared to 2020.

The closure of land border posts since March 2020 has also pushed many desperate young people to initiate an asylum application procedure, allowing them to go to Ceuta or Melilla, and then to the peninsula to look for work and build a better future. According to the latest data, Spain recorded, at the end of November, 6,123 asylum applications from Moroccans (3,078 in Ceuta and 2,985 in Melilla) compared to 1,110 in 2020.