Ceuta Crisis: Minors clash outside police to escape repatriation

CEUTA, Spain – Chaos has engulfed Ceuta this Monday, despite the Spanish government’s attempts to present a picture of normality. Police have been forced to order the dispersal of hundreds of unaccompanied foreign minors who have congregated outside the Superior Police Headquarters, seeking for the state to assume their guardianship and cover their basic needs. Ceuta

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The minors, known as “menas” (unaccompanied foreign minors), have gathered to declare themselves in a situation of abandonment, thereby activating the protection system and securing placement in reception centres. According to police sources, “1,342 minors have already been identified and are in designated centres, with nearly a thousand more waiting to be processed.”

The collapse of the area surrounding the police facilities began early in the morning, with some minors having even spent the night on pavements in the vicinity. This situation has been ongoing since last week but intensified on Monday, with fights breaking out among those in the long queues as some attempted to jump the line. The Jupol police union, the majority union within the National Police, has reported that some individuals even attempted to storm the police building.

The military has also been deployed to the area to assist police in containing the influx of minors. Police sources have described the atmosphere as “tense,” but noted that the presence of law enforcement and military personnel has helped maintain calm. The containment operation remained “overwhelmed,” with at least 400 minors gathered, until 11:00 AM, when police and military successfully cleared the exterior of the Headquarters.

Authorities have established two holding zones near the Headquarters, where over 200 minors were held throughout the morning. The police identification process is the first step for the minors to come under the guardianship of the Autonomous City. Once registered, they are directed to reception facilities and subsequently summoned to complete the rest of the administrative procedure, including fingerprinting and other identification formalities.

@rtvenoticias 🔸Momentos de tensión entre los menores que siguen haciendo cola a las puertas de la Jefatura Superior de la Policía. Han tenido que intervenir los antidisturbios. El objetivo de este trámite es que puedan volver con sus familias al otro lado de la frontera. Los que no, seguirán tutelados por la ciudad autónoma hasta que puedan ser trasladados a centros de la Península. #ceuta#menores #migracion #crisismigratoria #marruecos #noticiastiktok ♬ sonido original – RTVE Noticias

The National Police are currently balancing the registration of new arrivals at the Superior Headquarters with the processing of those already housed in various facilities established following the mass entry on July 30. An estimated 8,000 to 11,000 irregular immigrants remain in Ceuta, according to the Ceuta Government’s calculations, a figure far higher than the 2,000 reported by the national government.

Ceuta’s President, Juan Jesús Vivas, has described the situation as “absolutely unsustainable, unacceptable, and intolerable.” Following a meeting with the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, Vivas called for an urgent facility to serve as a Foreigners’ Internment Centre where these individuals could be housed and confined. He argued that such a measure would expedite expulsion proceedings, address basic needs, and prevent thousands from “wandering the streets, without shelter, without a place to meet their vital needs, generating insecurity and disrupting the ordinary functioning of services.”

Vivas has also called for a reinforcement of the Foreign Affairs, Justice, Prosecutor’s Office, and Police departments, as well as a substantial increase in State Security Forces personnel to guarantee border security. He further demands the continued presence of the military on the streets, at critical infrastructure, and at strategic points in Ceuta until normality is restored. Additionally, Vivas has urged the government to establish a “unified command” involving the various relevant ministries and the Autonomous City to coordinate all these actions.

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Regarding the situation of the minors, Vivas noted that Ceuta is currently hosting around 1,300, a number that had already increased from roughly 180 to 800 in the week leading up to the crisis. He stressed the need to consider this context in the state’s response and called for “all efforts” to be directed towards facilitating family reunification for the minors, including, if necessary, legislative changes to expedite these procedures. “We will resist, but those who can and must, have to help us resist,” Vivas stated, referring to the government, and emphasised that Spain must guarantee Ceuta’s territorial integrity to prevent a repeat of the July 30 events.