Melilla President: Enforce Morocco-Spain Agreement on Return of Unaccompanied Now

Rabat – The president of Spanish-occupied Melilla, Juan José Imbroda, has called on the Spanish government to activate the bilateral agreement with Morocco on the return of unaccompanied Moroccan minors, saying the existing framework should now be explored following the recent migration pressure at the borders of Ceuta and Melilla.

Speaking Thursday on Cadena SER’s Hora 25 program, Imbroda said Spain should begin talks with Morocco to apply the agreement signed in 2007, which entered into force in 2013 after it was published by Morocco. He said any returns should be carried out with “all the guarantees” required under international law, international conventions and the agreement itself.

According to Imbroda, the process should focus on family reunification whenever possible and involve Moroccan and Spanish organizations, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the relevant administrations. He said he was not proposing that children be sent back to Morocco without support, adding that measures for protection, supervision and monitoring in the neighboring country should also be considered.

Imbroda said Melilla is currently caring for 312 unaccompanied foreign minors following the latest arrivals, a figure he argued is well above what the city should be responsible for. Even so, he said priority should first be given to helping neighboring Ceuta because of the events recorded there in recent days.

The president also addressed the redistribution of unaccompanied minors across Spain’s autonomous communities. He called for solidarity among the regions while acknowledging that some regional governments have opposed taking in their assigned share.

‘Full-fledged invasion’

At the same time, he said the Royal Decree governing the distribution must be respected because it is legally binding, regardless of political disagreements.

He added that Spain cannot be expected to take responsibility for all Moroccan minors, describing such an approach as “colossal nonsense.” He questioned how any government could believe the country was capable of receiving and supporting unlimited numbers of minors.

The remarks come one day after Imbroda appeared on the television program En Boca de Todos, where he blamed the recent border crisis on what he described as the failure of the Spanish government.

During that interview, he called for the resignation of Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska after describing the situation in Ceuta as a “full-fledged invasion.” 

Spain is also working to relocate around 1,100 unaccompanied migrant children from Ceuta to mainland regions after a record migration surge overwhelmed the enclave’s reception system, prompting Madrid to approve €25 million in emergency funding for their care and redistribution.