A Spanish court suspended on Monday the repatriation to Morocco of a group of minors who arrived in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta during the migratory wave recorded last May. The justice thus grants the request of two NGOs who had requested the blocking of the expulsions of twelve young migrants who had sought their help.
The repatriation operation of Moroccan minors launched last Friday by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior has had an unexpected effect. The minors, fearing to return to Morocco, are escaping from the reception centers to find themselves wandering the streets of Ceuta.
The Ceuta court did not react favorably to the request to suspend the repatriation of seven Moroccan migrant minors. The judge did not have time to rule on the case because the return of the minors was carried out in advance.
While they wanted to reach Libya, many Moroccan migrants find themselves stranded in detention centers in Algeria. Living in very difficult conditions, they are asking the Algerian authorities to grant their request for repatriation and to speed up the expulsion procedure to Morocco .
The Spanish Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, giving explanations on the return of minors to Morocco, indicated that it is not an expulsion and that the operation is carried out in compliance with the regulations in force.
The Spanish Episcopal Conference calls on the government to "guarantee above all the life and safety of minors", in accordance with national laws and international conventions, which require "their consent" before any possible repatriation.
The street companions of Saïd, a Moroccan homeless man found dead in La Rochelle on August 6 on the site of the Gabut industrial wasteland, organized a white march to pay tribute to him and demand that justice be done. The body of the deceased will be repatriated to Morocco on August 18 where he will be buried.
At least 60 Moroccan minors escaped this Saturday from the Piniers center in Ceuta to avoid the ongoing repatriation operation. The national police are actively searching for them.
The Attorney General’s Office has just opened an investigation into the repatriation operation to Morocco of some 800 minor migrants who arrived in Ceuta in May. The Spanish justice, which was not informed of this operation, wants to know everything about the conditions of return of the Moroccan children.
The second vice-president of Ceuta, Carlos Rontomé, providing details on the operation to repatriate to Morocco the minors who arrived in the autonomous city in May, said on Friday that "the Moroccan government will be responsible for locating the families of the minors and carrying out family reunifications."
The Ombudsman asked the Ministry of the Interior on Friday to suspend the operation to repatriate unaccompanied Moroccan minors from Ceuta to Morocco. The institution has received several complaints from NGOs defending children’s rights, who denounce the lack of legal guarantees in the procedure.
The repatriation of unaccompanied Moroccan minors who arrived in Ceuta last May began this Friday, through the Tarajal border crossing. Morocco has given its approval for the start of this operation.