Nearly a week after a massive influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, approximately 1,000 unaccompanied minors remain in the area, according to a report by the Associated Press on August 4.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska estimated that around 72,000 migrants crossed the border, with 70,000 having returned. However, a local official in Ceuta stated that it is difficult to determine the exact number of remaining migrants, estimating between 3,000 and 5,000.
Grande-Marlaska also raised the death toll to 75, most of whom drowned while attempting to reach Ceuta. Eleven additional fatalities reported by Moroccan authorities are not included in the Spanish statistics.
The AP reported the case of a 17-year-old girl from Tangier, who witnessed her 8-year-old brother drown while trying to escape chaos near the breakwater during the peak of the migration surge on July 30. Separated from her mother, she now survives by begging on the streets of Ceuta. The AP chose not to disclose her identity due to her vulnerable status.
Through an interpreter, she recounted, "I saw people stepping over corpses. Now we are just children begging on the streets."
In the Moroccan border town of Fnideq, parents anxiously await news of their children. One mother reported that she lost contact with her son after he left home with friends to reach Ceuta. "I wait here every day, but there is no news. Some friends from the same neighborhood have returned home, but I have heard that many have died," she said.
On August 3, AP journalists witnessed Spanish troops escorting a Moroccan boy back to the border, despite protests from residents and reporters who argued he was a minor. A Spanish army colonel halted the forced return and transferred the boy to the Spanish National Police. However, other unaccompanied minors were seen being sent back across the border.
Under Spanish law, adult migrants can apply for asylum, and if denied, face deportation. In contrast, unaccompanied minors are entitled to protection and care.
On August 4, the Spanish government announced it would allocate €25 million to support unaccompanied minors in Ceuta. The Spanish National Police also announced the opening of a missing persons reporting center at the border, along with an email submission option.
Grande-Marlaska stated to reporters in Madrid, "In Spain, the fundamental rights of vulnerable minors are respected just like those of adults."
The AP noted that among the adult migrants remaining in Ceuta are many fleeing civil war from Sudan, Palestinians from Gaza, and Afghans.
Food shortages are severe, prompting authorities to implement rationing late on August 3. A 25-year-old Moroccan man reported that he had not eaten for two days before returning, stating, "Those trying to get to Ceuta will only suffer. All the grocery stores are closed, and no one wants to sell us anything."
Ceuta's migrant facility, designed for 600 people, is already at capacity, forcing many to sleep on the beach and hills, gazing toward the European mainland shrouded in mist.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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