Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska reiterated yesterday that his ministry played no role in the «illegal» August 2021 return of unaccompanied minors from Ceuta to Morocco, as recently deemed by the Supreme Court. The court condemned the authorities' act as a «complete disregard» for immigration law and a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, prohibiting «collective expulsion of foreigners». During a Senate session, Grande-Marlaska stated, «I accept responsibility as a member of the government, but I reiterate: read the ruling, read all rulings, and then judge the Interior Ministry's lack of interference purely based on jurisdiction». He added, «I will clarify who holds custody of minors and who controls that process». In January, Spain Supreme Court deemed the minor deportations illegal due to «absolute non-compliance» with immigration regulations. These require individual assessments, information gathering on each minor's situation, and involvement from the Public Prosecution. The court emphasized violations of «he physical and moral integrity of returned minors», highlighting that «their interests were disregarded, and individual circumstances were not verified».
