Unaccompanied minor centres in Bizkaia, Spain, overwhelmed as exceptional status declared

The Provincial Council of Bizkaia has once again declared a state of exceptionality in its reception centres for unaccompanied foreign minors due to saturation. There are 594 minors in care while the available places number 406.

## Bizkaia declares exceptional status due to saturation

The **Provincial Council of Bizkaia** has once again activated the exceptional status in its reception centres for unaccompanied foreign minors. The reason is clear: the network of resources is overwhelmed. Currently, the provincial institution has **594 migrant minors** under its guardianship, while the **17 centres and flats** available in the territory only have **406 ordinary places**. This measure, which was first implemented in November 2024 and remained in place until June, allows the Provincial Council to operate under a legal framework that relaxes care standards, meaning it can offer only a "roof" and does not always guarantee the usual socio-educational integration programmes.

## A sustained reality over time

The Council's spokesperson, **Leixuri Arrizabalaga**, has pointed out that the arrival of these minors is not an isolated event, but "a reality sustained over time that continues to strain our reception network". She has insisted on the need for other administrations to take on their share, providing resources and structural solutions to offer a stable and dignified response. Bizkaia, according to Arrizabalaga, is meeting and even exceeding its responsibilities in the management of these minors, and asks the rest of the institutions to do the same. The situation has worsened especially over the summer, with **224 new admissions** between June and August, an average of **2.5 arrivals per day**.

## Exceptional reinforcement to meet demand

The declaration of exceptional status will allow the Department of Social Action to set up new care resources. These will be "exceptional, temporary and transitional", designed to reinforce reception capacity. It has not yet been clarified whether this will involve reopening closed centres such as **El Vivero**, nor whether the recent arrivals are linked to specific migration crises, such as the one in **Ceuta**. Other regions, such as **Navarre**, have already confirmed receiving minors from the autonomous city, showing the complexity of distribution and management at state level.