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The Spanish government has begun transferring unaccompanied migrant minors from overcrowded reception centres in the Canary Islands to other regions of mainland Spain.

 

The first relocation, taking place on Monday August 11, involves ten adolescents, two more than initially planned. The authorities have committed to running two transfers each week, moving between 15 and 20 minors at a time.

 

These relocations mark the government’s first steps to comply with a Supreme Court ruling issued in March, which ordered the Ministries of the Interior and Migration to take responsibility for around 1,200 children whose asylum applications remain pending. The backlog is the result of a severely overstretched reception system on the islands. Judges have warned they will impose sanctions on officials who fail to comply with their instructions.

 

According to the Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, transfers had originally been scheduled to begin on 28 August, after the government confirmed capacity in each host region. The first arrivals on the mainland were expected in September, but the timeline has now been brought forward.

 

In the Region of Murcia, 133 children are expected to be accommodated, with nearly €1.7 million in funding allocated for their care. That’s according to local reports but in general, the government has not revealed the precise locations or numbers in an effort to prevent political disputes.

 

Tensions over the relocations have already surfaced. Some regions governed by the conservative People’s Party and even a few led by the Socialist Workers’ Party, such as Castilla-La Mancha, have expressed reluctance to receive the minors.

 

Madrid has been the most vocal opponent. In Pozuelo de Alarcón, the city council, backed by regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, ordered the closure of a major immigration centre, claiming it lacked the necessary licence. The central government has signalled its intention to challenge the decision in court but has not yet taken formal action.

 

Addressing resistance from certain regional governments, Minister Rego delivered a clear message.

 

"If they refuse to comply with the law, the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office and the State Security Forces would intervene. There is a procedure in the Royal Decree that allows for specifying how all of this will be implemented," she said.

 

 

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