Some of the minors who arrived in Ceuta this week from Morocco did so deceived, since they were told that in the Spanish city they could see the soccer players Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a volunteer who distributes food at the border told EFE.
The Red Cross is taking care of these boys with the support of the Army, which provides them with bunk beds.
Ceuta, in North Africa, is gradually recovering normality after the massive arrival of irregular immigrants these days from Morocco, while the authorities are now focusing on the care of the 850 minors who remain in Spanish territory.
In addition to taking care of their accommodation and meals, Spanish Police agents are testing them for the coronavirus and, in some cases, others to determine if they are under 18 years of age.
Apart from the 850 minors, the youngest of them four years old, there are an unknown number in the vicinity of the port of Ceuta who are waiting for their opportunity to get on a boat and reach the peninsula, and another 230 who were already in the city before the massive arrival of these days remain in a juvenile center.
Of those, 200 will be sent to other Spanish cities, since they are boys who are integrated and have been residing in Ceuta for several months, according to government sources.
The Police establish two procedures for the care of minors, the first of them for family reunification, which is intended for parents who claim their children, for which the city authorities have provided a telephone number.
MANY FAMILIES CLAIM THEM FROM MOROCCO
The Spanish Minister of Education, Isabel Celaá, said today that many families are claiming them from Morocco, so it will be studied “rigorously on a case-by-case basis,” always prevailing the best interests of the minor.
The second procedure refers to minors not claimed by anyone and who, therefore, are in a situation of helplessness, so their care corresponds to the city of Ceuta, according to a spokesman for the Spanish Government delegation.
To determine the age in cases in which there are doubts, a test of the bones of the wrist and an oral X-ray are done.
Minors continue to arrive this Thursday at the compound where they are treated, near the border, some voluntarily after spending several days sleeping on the street and eating from charity.
The place is guarded by military and police vehicles, and the cleaning services have carried out a special disinfection of the surroundings, although very close there are still remains of bottles of water, food and clothing. EFE. (JL).