- Hundreds of unaccompanied minors are stranded in Ceuta after the surge; some are traumatised after witnessing family members drown in the Mediterranean Sea.
- An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 migrants of the roughly 60,000 who arrived in Ceuta on Thursday have avoided expulsion, including more than 800 unaccompanied minors who face an uncertain future.
- According to local officials, some 860 minors remained in Ceuta on Monday after crossing over, and AP journalists saw other minors asking for food.
- The migrant center with capacity for 600 people is completely full and food is scarce; activist Ramsés Mohamed Azumik said the strategy is that hunger, thirst and exhaustion will push people to voluntarily return to Morocco.
- A 17-year-old girl from Tangier told the Associated Press she saw Spanish police pulling the body of her eight-year-old brother from the sea; she was separated from her mother and now relies on locals for food and shelter.
- An AP journalist witnessed Spanish soldiers escorting an unaccompanied Moroccan boy who begged not to be sent back; a lieutenant colonel stopped the repatriation and transferred him to the Spanish Civil Guard.
Hundreds of unaccompanied minors are stranded in Ceuta, Spain, following a massive surge of migrants who swam around the border fence from Morocco. Local officials report that approximately 860 minors remain in the city, facing dire conditions with scarce food and shelter.1256
Many of these children are traumatized, having witnessed family members drown during the perilous crossing. A 17-year-old girl from Tangier recounted the harrowing experience of seeing her 8-year-old brother's body pulled from the sea by Spanish police, while she became separated from her mother.910
The city’s migrant center, which has a capacity for 600 people, is completely full, forcing many to sleep outside or on the beach. Local migration activist Ramsés Mohamed Azumik stated, “The strategy is that hunger, thirst and exhaustion forces these people to finally decide to voluntarily return to Morocco.”78
Spanish law mandates that unaccompanied minors should receive immediate protection and care from authorities. However, the reality on the ground is grim, with many children begging for food and shelter. An AP journalist witnessed a Moroccan boy crying and begging not to be sent back to Morocco, highlighting the desperate situation faced by these vulnerable minors.11
As the crisis unfolds, the future remains uncertain for these children, with local officials and humanitarian organizations calling for urgent assistance to address their needs.
“An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 of the roughly 60,000 migrants who reached Ceuta on Thursday have avoided expulsion, including more than 800 unaccompanied minors. “Now we are children begging on the street,” said a 17-year-old from Tangier whose eight-year-old brother drowned.”
AP News
