The Balearic Government maintains its tug-of-war with the State over the distribution of migrant minors and already warns that it will return to the courts if the Spanish government approves a new decree to extend the current system. This was announced this Friday by the Executive's spokesperson, Antoni Costa, after the Governing Council, in a press conference marked by the firmness of his speech.

The ordinary capacity for hosting minor migrants in the Balearic Islands will grow to 434 places. This is evident from the draft royal decree that was to be presented to the autonomous communities this Wednesday during the Sectoral Conference on Childhood, but which was ultimately suspended due to a lack of quorum, as the majority of territories governed by the PP did not attend.

The ordinary reception capacity for migrant minors in the Balearic Islands will grow to 434 places. This is according to the draft of the royal decree that was to be transferred to the autonomous communities this Wednesday during the sectoral conference on Childhood, but which was ultimately suspended due to a lack of quorum, as most of the territories governed by the PP did not attend.

The institutions of the Islands are boasting about the facilities they have set up as emergency resources to accommodate the migrants who frequently arrive on the shores of Mallorca – such as the old barracks of They are allwhich already houses minors. While the Spanish government and executive branch celebrate the opening of this type of facility, Prosocial, an organization that fights to defend social rights, points out that the people arriving by boat to the Balearic Islands "are fleeing wars, persecution, and hunger," and therefore "must be offered the maximum protection." For this reason, the organization notes that during the presentation of the proposal to restrict access to Son Tous for young migrants, Vox argued that the facility would offer few amenities and would have a deterrent effect on others intending to migrate. The far-right's intentions raised alarm bells at Prosocial, which is demanding that the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS) close the center because, in its view, "Son Tous cannot be a place of isolation and marginalization; nor can the reception of minors be a form of punishment."

The Balearic Islands have not received any of the 803 unaccompanied migrant children who have been transferred from the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla to other autonomous communities in the last seven months, since the reform of the Immigration Law. Although the Spanish government included The Islands are among the regions likely to receive migrant children. of the Canary Islands and the autonomous cities, The Executive refused, He appealed to the courts and argued that his guardianship capacity had been exceeded. Sources from the Balearic Government and the Council of Mallorca have indicated to the EFE news agency that none of the displaced minors have arrived in the Balearic Islands.

The Son Tous center has already been declared a project of special strategic interest by the Regional Government Council and is preparing to receive 64 unaccompanied migrant children, whose arrival date is still unknown. Government spokesperson Antoni Costa explained that a first-reception residential center will be established for vulnerable individuals, especially minors. The space, which will be transferred to the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), will have four units for 16 minors, a care unit, and a nursing station to conduct the initial health assessment of the children and adolescents. The project affects an area of 1,835 square meters (building 26), with approximately 4,700 square meters of outdoor areas at the former Son Tous barracks. a property that the Ministry of Defense It was transferred to the Autonomous Community. The declaration of special strategic interest for the Autonomous Community was made to address the urgent need for adequate infrastructure to care for unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents arriving in Mallorca in vulnerable situations, Costa emphasized. This responsibility falls to the Council of Mallorca, through the IMAS (Mallorca Institute of Social Affairs).

The Balearic Islands Bar Association will file an administrative appeal with a court in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria against the resolution ordering the transfer and relocation of an unaccompanied foreign minor in the Balearic Islands. This was approved by the Governing Council this Friday, as reported by the government spokesperson, Antoni Costa, at the subsequent press conference.

The president of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, has formally requested information from the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, regarding the status of requests for information from the countries of origin concerning the family situations of all migrant children who have arrived in the Balearic Islands, in order to assess their repatriation. "Any child protection system has as its primary mission family reunification. Children are better off with their families," stated Guillermo Sánchez, president of the Mallorcan Institute of Social Affairs (IMAS), on Wednesday. He emphasized that the Immigration Law stipulates that requesting information from the countries of origin regarding the family situation of each child—a procedure that must be carried out before initiating the repatriation process—is the exclusive responsibility of the Spanish state. However, Sánchez expressed his concern that he does not know "whether the Ministry of the Interior is processing these requests." In the same vein, he added that he has presided over IMAS for more than two years and that during this period the Spanish government "has neither responded nor sent any information regarding repatriations." Therefore, he reiterated that if repatriation is not possible, the child protection systems of the countries of origin will have to take responsibility. He also insisted that the Spanish government has not requested any information from the island institution about the minors who have arrived in Mallorca. Furthermore, the president of IMAS considered the €1.2 million in aid that the Spanish government will provide to the Balearic Islands to care for migrant children to be "a joke." Sánchez explained that Mallorca is entitled to approximately €700,000, an amount which, he considered, "is not even enough to cover the costs of ten days of care for the minors." Budget Execution

In 2024, the Consell de Mallorca approved the largest budget in the institution's history, totaling €646 million. In fact, one out of every two million euros is allocated to social policies. The IMAS budget increased by 4.5% compared to 2023. However, the president of the entity emphasized today that the system is compromised by a lack of funding, staff, and adapted facilities. "In terms of human resources, ratios, funding, and infrastructure, we no longer have any capacity for growth," he insisted. The left has repeatedly stated that in 2024 the island institution failed to spend 20% of its budget. The PSIB attributes this surplus to the failure to execute spending items planned in the initial budget, especially investment, across the various departments of the Council and the IMAS. For his part, Sánchez asserted that the island institution has spent the entire IMAS budget and explained that the agency has had to request an additional 15 million euros to finance the reception of migrant children. Regarding the allocation of spaces, Sánchez criticized the lack of support from some municipal institutions governed by the left. "We have requested the allocation of spaces from city councils and have received no response. If they have available spaces, I hope they will make them available to IMAS," he said. "Pure and simple racism."

The spokesperson for the PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) in the Council of Mallorca, Catalina Cladera, described Galmés's actions as "pure and simple racism" and asserted that requesting the repatriation of migrant children under guardianship in Mallorca "crosses every red line in the defense of Human Rights and Children's Rights by a president of the Council of Mallorca." The Socialist spokesperson attributed the initiative to a "drift towards the extreme right" by the island president, to appease the ideology of his far-right Vox partners in the Council's government. In fact, according to Cladera, "Galmés has already pushed his far-right allies, who are sitting in the government, further to the right."

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The Supreme Court rejected the government's request for precautionary measures to suspend the transfer of unaccompanied minors. The decision, adopted on October 7, 2025, establishes that there is no urgent situation that justifies acting without the ordinary procedure and without a prior hearing from the defendant administration.

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The Ministry of Youth and Children will submit to the next Sectoral Conference the proposal for the transfer of an extraordinary credit of 1.2 million euros, following the declaration of a migration emergency. This allocation is included in the 13 million euros that the Spanish government will also provide to the Canary Islands and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla for the care of unaccompanied migrant children.

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The organization Prosocial has expressed its concern about the controversy that arose this summer over the arrival of migrant children from the Canary Islands to the Balearic Islands, after the government and island councils refused to accept them. According to the organization, the debate has become a political confrontation centered on the number of children and young people to be cared for, without taking into account their "extremely vulnerable" situation.

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At least four migrant minors arrived by plane in recent weeks in Menorca and Ibiza, most likely abandoned by their parents, according to reports from the island councils to the National Police. According to the sources consulted, this approach could be considered a new entry route for the migration phenomenon in the islands.

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The polarization over the wave of migration has impacted the Balearic Islands, which in recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of immigrants arriving by boat, some of them minors. The People's Party (PP) and its partner, Vox, have made the issue a front against the Spanish government. From the more or less direct link between irregular immigration and crime, to accusations against the Spanish government and NGOs of generating a "pull effect," various specialists consulted by ARABalears point out fake news of these parties on the migration issue.

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The Minister of Social Welfare of the Menorca Council, Carmen Reynés, reported this Wednesday that two of the three minors who were rescued last Saturday in a small boat 35 miles off the island's coast "can't even walk." "They arrived in a very delicate physical condition and extremely weak. All were discharged from the hospital, but tonight one of the minors was readmitted. Regarding their psychological state, it can be said to be somewhat worrying," said the island official.

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The left of the Consell de Mallorca asks the president of the island institution, Llorenç Galmés, to take "brave and real" measures for limit rental cars on the island. At least, Vox believes that it is unacceptable in any way that the regulations require Spaniards to pay a fee to enter Mallorca by car. The different political positions leave the approval of one of Galmés's flagship measures in the Consell in high regard. However, the island president is not giving up and continues to negotiate the final proposal for the regulations with entities and companies in the sector, as well as with the parties represented in the Consell, with the aim of ensuring that "it is not only a proposal from one government team, but that it is applied in other legislatures," as Galmés hoped.

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The distribution of unaccompanied migrant minors has become a key weapon in the crossfire between the Spanish government and the PP in recent weeks. In this case, it was Prime Minister Marga Prohens, who emerged as the front line of the majority of the Popular Party leaders who united against Pedro Sánchez, in a new episode of tension between the regional administrations of the PP and the Spanish government. Last Friday, the Executive announced the filing of a second appeal against the measure, which aims to relieve the burden on the Canary Islands, overwhelmed by the wave of migration. Meanwhile, nearly 3,900 minors who arrived in that territory by boat are awaiting a solution to their situation. 49 would be assigned to the islands, a figure that neither the Balearic PP nor its partner, Vox, are willing to accept.

]]> I write this while my cheeks are still flushed and hot from the embarrassment we citizens have had to endure in recent weeks, while political parties have played tennis with migrant minors. The grand proclamations of human rights and dignity have become somewhat emptier after being used by institutional representatives who cannot hide the fact that the last thing they care about is the well-being of these people, who need shelter, solidarity, and help. It's hard to hear people talk about human rights without understanding their profound implications, which go far beyond excuses that offend our intelligence, no matter how little intelligence we have left as a society.

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Maritime Rescue rescued 11 migrants with symptoms of dehydration this Friday, four of them in serious condition, who were adrift on a boat 35 miles southeast of Menorca.

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He insists he shouldn't justify himself in the face of criticism and accusations of racism and xenophobia. The new Director General of Immigration and Development Cooperation, Manuel Pavón (Madrid, 1981), also asks for time to launch initiatives and highlights his experience as a national police officer to help him fill the position for the remainder of the term.

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