The Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation to find out the circumstances in which the 800 minors are returned from Ceuta to Morocco, at a time when human rights organizations criticized the return of minors who entered the Spanish enclave about three months ago.
The Spanish newspaper, Heraldo, quoted judicial sources as saying that neither the Public Prosecutor’s Office nor the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Ceuta was aware of the return plan.
According to the same sources, the only official communication received regarding this plan was very general and did not specify the number of minors who would be returned to Morocco or the timing of the operation.
According to the newspaper, police sources confirmed the return of the second group of fifteen minors, on Saturday.
The palace was taken from the Santa Amelia Pavilion to the Tarjal Pass to cross into Morocco.
The operation was criticized by human rights organizations, and Amnesty International spokesman, Angel Gonzalo, said that the deportations of minors began on Friday and continued on Saturday.
“We are writing to the Ministry of the Interior asking them to stop these expulsions immediately, and asking for transparency about their actions,” Gonzalo said, adding that the organization is talking with prosecutors because “these expulsions violate international law.”
On Saturday, Save the Children urged Spain to stop deporting unaccompanied minors to Morocco.
The international NGO accused Madrid of not respecting the rights of these children.
As many as ten thousand migrants crossed the border in North Africa to Ceuta during several days in May without being confronted by Moroccan border guards.
The behavior of the Moroccan authorities at the time was considered a retaliatory response to Spain’s decision to receive the leader of the Saguia El-Hamra and Río de Oro “Polisario” front, Ibrahim Ghali, for treatment after he was infected with the Coronavirus.
