No control: minors arriving in Bizkaia should be in care elsewhere in Spain
A regional lawmaker suspects 20% of unaccompanied minors in Bizkaia are adults. The Prosecutor's Office refuses age tests while centres fill up with arrivals from other Spanish regions.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
20% of 'unaccompanied minors' in Bizkaia may be adults: the Prosecutor's Office refuses to run tests
The Provincial Council of Bizkaia suspects that one in five unaccompanied minors in its care centres are actually adults posing as youths to benefit from regional guardianship. The complaint, raised by lawmaker Octavio Igea, reveals an institutional clash with the Prosecutor's Office, which refuses to carry out systematic age tests. "We only ask that each institution does what it can," says Igea, while the centres have been overwhelmed for a year and a half and arrivals of minors from other Spanish regions are accelerating.
The clash between the Provincial Council and the Prosecutor's Office
The Prosecutor's Office is reluctant to conduct age tests, making fraud impossible to detect. Meanwhile, the lawmaker insists that "there is no control": minors arrive from Cantabria, La Rioja and Navarra, regions where they should supposedly already be in care. Suspicion that organised gangs are arranging these transfers hangs in the air, though Igea prefers not to confirm it: "We suspect there may be something organised, but a full-blown mafia..."
The transfer of minors between regions
The lack of a single register and the disparity in resources between Spain's autonomous communities creates a pull effect. Bizkaia, with better allowances and services, attracts minors who were already in other protection systems. "There should not be a single foreigner in Spain," some analyses conclude, while others call outright for expulsion. The hard-line stance on enforcing the law clashes with the inaction of the Prosecutor's Office, which prefers not to act for antiestéticar of controversy.
The question that remains: is the lack of age tests a matter of resources or political will? The 20% figure suggests the system is being systematically deceived, and that the solution requires more than good intentions.
Related debates in the forum
The Provincial Council of Bizkaia suspects that one in five unaccompanied minors in its care centres are actually adults posing as youths to benefit from regional guardianship. The complaint, raised by lawmaker Octavio Igea, reveals an institutional clash with the Prosecutor's Office, which refuses to carry out systematic age tests. "We only ask that each institution does what it can," says Igea, while the centres have been overwhelmed for a year and a half and arrivals of minors from other Spanish regions are accelerating.
The clash between the Provincial Council and the Prosecutor's Office
The Prosecutor's Office is reluctant to conduct age tests, making fraud impossible to detect. Meanwhile, the lawmaker insists that "there is no control": minors arrive from Cantabria, La Rioja and Navarra, regions where they should supposedly already be in care. Suspicion that organised gangs are arranging these transfers hangs in the air, though Igea prefers not to confirm it: "We suspect there may be something organised, but a full-blown mafia..."
The transfer of minors between regions
The lack of a single register and the disparity in resources between Spain's autonomous communities creates a pull effect. Bizkaia, with better allowances and services, attracts minors who were already in other protection systems. "There should not be a single foreigner in Spain," some analyses conclude, while others call outright for expulsion. The hard-line stance on enforcing the law clashes with the inaction of the Prosecutor's Office, which prefers not to act for antiestéticar of controversy.
The question that remains: is the lack of age tests a matter of resources or political will? The 20% figure suggests the system is being systematically deceived, and that the solution requires more than good intentions.
Related debates in the forum
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (15 replies).
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