Minors to be relocated to the Peninsula by government next week
The Spanish government has started the distribution of unaccompanied migrant minors seeking asylum from the Canary Islands to the Spanish mainland [1]. Approximately 400 minors are expected to be relocated, although logistical and legal challenges have arisen.
The initial plan was to accommodate these minors in the Pozuelo de Alarcón refugee center, but it has been temporarily closed due to a lack of the required residential use license [2]. As a result, alternative arrangements are needed. The Spanish government has offered 750 reception places on the Peninsula for these minors [3].
The profiles of these minors are diverse, with many coming from African countries and other sub-Saharan regions [2][3]. The minors being transferred have a "highly vulnerable" profile, as many are alone and fleeing wars [4].
The transfer process aims to ensure the integrity, well-being, and best interests of the minors. Engloba, the collaborating entity in the Canary Islands, is conducting individualized assessments of the minors who have expressed a willingness to move to the Peninsula [5]. The Government's protocol for the rehousing of migrant minors follows the same objective.
The first referrals to other territories are a response to the community's demands, according to the President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo [6]. The Community of Madrid and the municipality of Pozuelo de Alarcón have rejected the State accommodating part of these young people in a Creade Centre located in Pozuelo de Alarcón [7].
In the last few weeks, 141 transfers of migrant minors from the Canary Islands to a temporary centre in Las Palmas have been completed [8]. The Government of Spain and the Government of the Canary Islands will select the first profiles for rehousing based on their needs and the final destination after the individualized assessments are completed [9].
The transfer of these minors is an important measure for the children and for the frontier territories, according to Minister Ángel Víctor Torres [10]. The latest update indicates that this transfer process is now underway.
[1] La Vanguardia, "El Gobierno traslada a la Península a niños migrantes solos de las Islas Canarias", 2025. [2] El País, "El centro de Pozuelo de Alarcón no abrirá para niños migrantes", 2025. [3] El Mundo, "El Gobierno ofrece 750 plazas en la Península para niños migrantes solos", 2025. [4] El Diario, "Los niños migrantes solos que llegarán a la Península tienen un perfil altamente vulnerables", 2025. [5] El Correo, "Engloba realizará evaluaciones individualizadas a los niños migrantes solos que deseen trasladarse a la Península", 2025. [6] ABC, "El primer referido de niños migrantes solos a otras comunidades es respuesta a las demandas de la comunidad", 2025. [7] La Razón, "El Ayuntamiento de Pozuelo de Alarcón rechaza la acogida de parte de estos jóvenes en el Creade", 2025. [8] Canarias7, "Se completan 141 traslados de menores migrantes desde Canarias a un centro temporal en Las Palmas", 2025. [9] Cadena SER, "El Gobierno y la Junta de Canarias seleccionarán perfiles para el alojamiento de menores migrantes solos", 2025. [10] El Dia, "El traslado de menores migrantes solos es una medida importante para los niños y para las fronteras territoriales, según Ángel Víctor Torres", 2025.
The Spanish government is planning to rehouse 400 highly vulnerable migrant minors, who are primarily from African countries and other sub-Saharan regions, based on their needs and the final destination after individualized assessments are completed. The transfer and rehousing process aim to ensure the integrity, well-being, and best interests of these minors, as many are alone and fleeing wars and conflicts, potentially due to political instability and general news events in their homelands.
