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Rabat – The Interior Minister in Spain, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, is defending the repatriation of unaccompanied minors from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta to Morocco.
The Spanish official believes that the return of the unaccompanied minors is for their “best interest.”
The minister stated that returning migrants will help them reunite with families and in their cultural and social environment, an environment free of risk.
The repatriation of minors comes amid heated debate, involving NGOs and human rights activists who denounced the deportation of migrants.
Some NGOs have also criticized the lack of individualized assessments of migrants with regard to their status.
Cadenaser reported testimonies from minors, who refuse to return to Morocco.
“My family doesn’t want me to return. When my mother found out that I was here in Ceuta she told me not to come back and to be strong.”
Several minors prefer to live on the streets rather than in detention centers.
“I feel much better on the street than living in the center. We suffocate there, they don’t even let us go outside to breathe air.” That’s why I escaped from there a month ago,” one of the migrants said.
Security guards allegedly mistreated the unaccompanied minor and threatened him with a gun.
“I left there because they insulted me,” the minor complained.
The migrants who provided the testimonies were among a large group of people consisting of minors and adults who swam to Ceuta in May.
In addition to the diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco, the influx of irregular migrants created even more tension between the two nations. Initially, the crisis was triggered when Spain facilitated the transfer of Polisario leader Brahim Ghali for hospitalization, allowing for Ghali to enter the Spanish territory with falsified documents.
