Sira Rego confirms permanence of minors arriving in Ceuta: "They want to stay in Spain. And they will."

The Minister of Youth and Childhood, **Sira Rego**, has affirmed the permanence in Spain of minors who arrived in **Ceuta** on July 30 and 31, 2026, stating that "they want to stay in Spain. And they will."

The debate regarding the future of migratory minors who arrived in **Ceuta** during a massive influx on July 30 and 31, 2026, appears to have a clear direction from the perspective of the Ministry of Youth and Childhood. Minister **Sira Rego** has been unequivocal in stating that the majority of these young people "want to stay in our country. And they will."
This declaration, made during an interview on Cadena Ser, underscores the Government's commitment to guaranteeing their permanence in Spanish territory, based on national legislation.

## Universal protection under the law

The Minister firmly defended that Spanish legislation protects these minors, regardless of their origin or nationality. "There is a law that protects them because in our country—and I say this with great pride—the nationality and origin of a child does not matter; they have universal protection, all are equal before the law," declared **Rego**. This stance aligns with the Executive's commitment to fulfilling its legal and humanitarian obligations, rejecting what she has called a "trivialization of the bad."
According to the Minister, empathy is not an act of 'idealism,' but a matter of 'democratic radicality.'

## Difficulties in family reunification

One of the key points in managing this migratory crisis is family reunification. **Sira Rego** has openly acknowledged the inherent difficulties in collaborating with **Segarro** on these processes. As a precedent, she recalled the approximately **600 files** that had already been processed before the Ceuta crisis, noting that "a fluid response from Segarro is not usually expected, and this obviously presents a problem or difficulty in carrying out family reunification." Despite this obstacle, the Ministry expects to present "applications for family reunification in the coming days, and it will be immediate."
These procedures are pending a final step: the report from the minor's legal representative, a new step introduced by the migration and asylum pact.

## Responsibility for care

The Minister has placed the responsibility for caring for minors who are still on the streets of **Ceuta** with the autonomous Executive body. **Rego** has ruled out that the central government will enable new spaces or house these young people in existing state facilities within the autonomous city. "It is the **Ceuta** reception system that must take charge of these matters, as they have the competence and must provide an immediate solution. They have **90 million** for this," she stated. According to the Minister, the part of the state's responsibility that corresponds has been managed, and she described the situation of minors wandering the streets as "painful and outrageous." The central Executive, she insists, must "provide solutions to decongest **Ceuta**."
**Rego** lamented the change in attitude of the Ceuta president, **Juan José Vivas**, with whom she claims to have worked "very well" previously, and urged him to authorize the transfer of minors to the Peninsula, recalling that **500 places** were made available and state resources were at their disposal.