Ceuta appeals for aid as child migrant crisis becomes 'unsustainable'

The leader of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas, expressed alarm over the "unsustainable" conditions faced by child migrants on the Spanish North African territory. Following a surge of irregular migrants last week, Ceuta now hosts around 2,500 such children, including hundreds of unaccompanied minors, in overcrowded and dire circumstances.

With limited access to basics like food, water, shelter, and sanitation, authorities are struggling to cope, with the current capacity for migrant minors at just 90, far below the current 1,100. Vivas warned of "a high risk for order and public security" as reception centres are overwhelmed. The Spanish government, through its official in Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez, acknowledged the crisis, stating that minors are still roaming the streets, demanding urgent assistance from the central government.

Save the Children estimates that around 1,000 unprotected minors remain in Ceuta. While the leftist Ceuta administration has been criticized for its delayed response, some regions governed by the conservative Popular Party and the anti-immigration Vox party are likely to resist any redistribution of the children to other parts of Spain under existing legal provisions.

The ministry for youth and children has pledged €25 million in emergency funding to help Ceuta, which has converted two schools into reception centers for unaccompanied migrant minors, particularly girls.