The European Commission supports Spain’s goal of returning everyone who is staying illegally in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta following the mass arrival from Morocco in July. This also applies to unaccompanied minors, but they are subject to special provisions.
– The expectation is that everyone who entered Ceuta illegally will be returned, the Commission’s spokesman for home affairs, Markus Lammert, told the press. He stressed that the EU’s rules on returns also apply to minors.
Children do not have unconditional protection against return
Several thousand migrants are still in Ceuta. Spanish authorities have registered more than 2,100 minors following the mass arrivals, and the situation has placed considerable pressure on the enclave’s reception system.
The EU’s rules on returns contain special provisions for unaccompanied minors. Return may take place if it has been ensured that the child will be taken into the care of a family member, an appointed guardian or a suitable reception system in the receiving country. The “best interests of the child” are the “paramount” principle.
Lammert points out that the return of minors is supported by the new European migration pact:
⭕ Bruselas mete prisa a España para que devuelva los inmigrantes de Ceuta, menores incluidos, a Marruecos
El portavoz de Interior de la Comisión Europea, Markus Lammert, recuerda que la devolución de menores está avalada por el nuevo Pacto Migratorio Europeo
✍️ @pabloojer…
— El Debate (@eldebate_com) August 18, 2026
Spanish authorities announced plans this week to move around 500 underage girls from Ceuta to the mainland. The plan is intended to apply particularly to “vulnerable children” and is to be organised through, among other things, child welfare services and voluntary organisations. The plans have sparked political controversy in Spain. The opposition believes that the children should be returned to Morocco as long as the conditions are met.
🚨 Ceuta, Spanien – en anspændt situation udspiller sig mens 10.000 ikke-integrerbare venter på Visa og velfærdsydelser et sted i EUropa.
Sikke en klam fyr …
Er du forælder til en lyshåret pige, så køb peberspray og kursus i kampsport til hende🇪🇸 #ceuta #migration #border pic.twitter.com/EIZRZdekTu
— Michael Bischoff (@MichaeIBischoff) August 20, 2026
Brussels has not rejected the plans, but maintains that an overarching objective is the return of everyone who entered illegally.
EU sender motstridende signaler til Marokko etter Ceuta-krisen
