Spain hopes to transfer migrant minors to mainland within weeks

Spain's Youth Minister, Sira Rego, announced on Friday that the government expects to transfer some migrant minors from overcrowded reception centers in Ceuta to the mainland within weeks. This initiative aims to alleviate the crisis following a recent border rush where 72,000 migrants, including hundreds of unaccompanied minors, crossed into the North African enclave from Morocco. Rego stated, "I think it might only be a matter of a few weeks before we start seeing (minors) transferred to and welcomed on the mainland," prioritizing girls and children under 13. While Morocco has offered to repatriate unaccompanied minors, Spain will evaluate these cases individually, emphasizing that "Spain has no hurdles" in safeguarding children's rights. Additionally, Spain has threatened countermeasures against Italy if it does not lift border controls imposed after the Ceuta migrant influx, deeming them "unjust, contrary to European Union interests and discriminatory."