Pedro Sánchez announced on 16 September 2026 in the Congress responsibility for the immediate care of unaccompanied migrant minors in Ceuta to the city president Juan Jesús Vivas . Asked about the situation of the children and young people, the Prime Minister replied: “You should ask Mr Vivas.” He also accused the Partido Popular of obstructing a solution to the crisis. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo countered that the government was playing down the situation to spare Morocco the strain.
Around six weeks after the border crisis at the end of July, according to consistent reports, numerous unaccompanied minors are still living on the streets or in makeshift accommodation in Ceuta. For many, the process of clarifying their administrative status has yet to begin. Estimates range from several hundred to around a thousand people affected. Local support services are overstretched, and the division of political and administrative responsibility is at the heart of the dispute.
Under Spanish law, immediate care for unaccompanied minors is the responsibility of the autonomous communities and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The central government can provide support, for example by funding additional places, coordinating and transferring minors to other regions. Representatives of the Moncloa have in recent weeks pointed to a plan involving temporary reception places and preparations for transfers to mainland Spain. However, the government did not give a firm timetable.
The political conflict is intensifying: in the chamber, Sánchez criticised the Partido Popular, which was said to be seeking in Brussels to suspend the bilateral cooperation agreement with Morocco. In the government’s view, such a move would make cooperation on migration and border issues even more difficult. Feijóo, in turn, accused the Moncloa of playing down the situation and shifting responsibility onto the city administration.
The humanitarian situation remains the most urgent issue. In early September, residents and civil society groups in Ceuta called for children’s rights to be protected and for access to medical care, accommodation and schooling to be expedited. Identification, the appointment of guardians and initial protection procedures are prerequisites for transfers across Spain. While these steps are stalled, relief for the city remains limited. The government speaks of a phased rollout over weeks to months, depending on progress and coordination between the central government and the autonomous city.
The political risks for both camps are considerable: for Sánchez, the state’s ability to act in a border region is being tested; for the Partido Popular, its credibility as a local crisis manager is at stake. The immediate question is whether Madrid and Ceuta can establish reliable procedures for registration, protection and transfers more quickly.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).