CEUTA, Spain — Days after a mass crossing saw tens of thousands of migrants surge from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, hundreds of migrant children remain stranded, facing a scary present and an uncertain future. While most adults voluntarily returned by Friday evening, young men continued to stream back across the border on Monday, as families desperately searched for loved ones.
Among those caught in the chaos is a 17-year-old girl from Tangier, whose tragic journey highlights the plight of many. She recounted to a photojournalist how she and her family joined a massive crowd on Thursday, attempting to swim around a border fence to reach Spanish territory, seeking better opportunities. During the perilous crossing, she witnessed Spanish police pull the body of her 8-year-old brother from the Mediterranean, while her mother disappeared in the crush of people.
The teenage girl made it to shore but was separated from her mother and has spent the last four days alone. She received food and clothing from some locals, with one woman offering her a bath. She later sought help at a government-run youth center, only to find it completely full. Speaking through a translator, as she does not speak Spanish, she described the harrowing scene: “I saw people stepping on the dead. Now we are children begging on the street.” Her identity is being withheld because she is a minor in a vulnerable situation.
Local officials confirmed that approximately 860 minors, including this girl, remained in Ceuta on Monday after crossing over. Journalists observed other minors on the streets asking for food. These minors now constitute a significant portion of the 3,000 to 5,000 migrants who have avoided expulsion from Ceuta, out of an original 60,000 who initially crossed. Spanish authorities have confirmed 72 deaths, mostly in the water, during the crossing. Morocco reported an additional 11 deaths, which are not included in the Spanish total, according to the Spanish interior ministry.
Under Spanish law, adult migrants can apply for asylum, but if rejected, they face expulsion procedures. The bar for Moroccans to be granted humanitarian protection is typically very high. However, unaccompanied migrant minors are supposed to be granted protection and cared for by Spanish authorities.
A notable incident occurred on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, when a journalist witnessed Spanish soldiers escorting a crying 12-year-old unaccompanied Moroccan boy towards the Spain-Morocco border, begging not to be sent back. Just meters before reaching the border, a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish Army intervened and stopped the repatriation, transferring the boy to the Spanish Civil Guard, following pressure from local residents who insisted he was a minor, and the presence of media.
Most Moroccan adults have either voluntarily returned home or were pushed back by Spanish police. Among those who remain in Ceuta are significant numbers of people from other countries, including Sudanese fleeing their war-torn country, Palestinians from Gaza, Afghans, and individuals from several other African nations.
The city’s migrant center, designed for a capacity of 600 people, is completely full. Food is scarce among the migrants, according to reports from journalists. Ramsés Mohamed Azumik, a local migration activist with Asociación Elín, stated, “The strategy is that hunger, thirst and exhaustion forces these people to finally decide to voluntarily return to Morocco.” Many migrants are forced to sleep or rest on the beach or hills surrounding the Spanish enclave, with mainland Europe, their ultimate goal, visible across the sea in the hazy distance.
