Unaccompanied Migrant Children Roam Ceuta Streets as Spain Grapples with Repatriation

These unaccompanied minors, who arrived en masse in Ceuta between Monday and Tuesday of last week, "are wandering the city without knowing what to do," explains a taxi driver to Euronews. As minors, they are protected by Spanish law, which requires that their parents be located in Morocco and that proof of acceptable living conditions be established before their repatriation. Many of them have refused to give their identity and have escaped from the children’s centers that were sheltering them.

This is the case of Younès, Mohamed and Skakin, aged between 12 and 14, who escaped from the center and are looking for a safe place to spend the night. For now, they have settled under a tree in a park. "Of course, we are afraid. We are trying to find a place where there are not too many people. The little money we have is kept by a friend," explains Younès, the youngest. "I hope the police won’t come and take us back to the reception center. There’s nothing there," fears Mohamed. "I know my mother is looking for me and wants me to go back to Morocco, but I don’t want to," adds Skakin.

Like them, several other minor migrants find refuge in parks and corners of the city. Their families in Morocco, without news of them, are living in anguish.