Ceuta leader asks for Spain’s help over surge of 1,100 child migrants

The president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, has issued an urgent appeal to the Spanish government for national assistance, warning that the autonomous city is facing an unsustainable humanitarian crisis following a massive influx of migrants from Morocco.

Speaking in an interview with TVE on Wednesday, Vivas called for immediate help from the central government and the rest of Spain, describing the enclave as being at breaking point. He revealed that the city is currently caring for around 1,100 unaccompanied child migrants - a sharp increase from the 750 present prior to the recent crisis.

Under current legislation, Ceuta's emergency capacity is capped at 90 unaccompanied minors, meaning the city’s care facilities are operating at 2,600 per cent over their critical threshold.

Vivas confirmed that transfers of children and teenagers to mainland Spain are underway in line with royal decrees regulating extraordinary redistribution among Spain's autonomous communities. He praised the ongoing cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Children, whilst acknowledging that legal processes for documenting and transferring minors are far too slow to keep pace with continuous arrivals.

The crisis stems from a sudden influx concentrated between 30 and 31 July, when around 80,000 people crossed into the Spanish territory - a figure roughly equal to Ceuta's entire population. Vivas criticised the central government’s initial response as late and manifestly insufficient, noting that the sheer volume of arrivals has overwhelmed statutory resources.

The regional leader also raised concerns regarding adult migrants, highlighting severe overcrowding at the Temporary Stay Centre for Immigrants (CETI). Vivas urged authorities to expedite processing for adult arrivals, the majority of whom are Moroccan nationals, to facilitate their prompt return via the Tarajal border.