Andalucia has been told it must expand its capacity to house unaccompanied migrant children to more than 3,000 places.

That figure is the highest of any region in Spain, and comes as tensions continue to simmer over the country’s stalled redistribution system.

Andalucia is the second-largest region by landmass (second to Castilla y Leon) and the largest in terms of population size.

The Ministry of Youth and Children has increased the number of places required in the region to 3,009, up by 182 compared to the previous allocation set out in February 2025, when the government first declared a state of migration contingency.

That puts Andalucia well ahead of other regions, with Cataluña expected to provide 2,829 places and Madrid 2,471.

Valencia follows with 1,903, while Galicia (940) and Castilla y Leon (833) sit further behind.

At the lower end, regions like Navarra, Cantabria and La Rioja have significantly smaller quotas, while Ceuta and Melilla – despite being on the frontline – have the lowest official capacities.

A system under strain

The figures reopen a long-running dispute over how to redistribute thousands of migrant minors currently overcrowding facilities in the Canary Islands and Ceuta.

Earlier this month, several PP-led regions boycotted a key government meeting on the issue, arguing the process did not follow proper procedures.

In response, the central government insisted the meeting was only informative and that the numbers had already been finalised, with a new decree expected to be approved ‘in the coming weeks’.

That decree, however, has yet to materialise, with priority instead given to the government’s controversial migrant regularisation plan.

Ongoing delays

According to sources familiar with the process, many of the children assigned to Andalucia more than a year ago have still not been transferred.

Back in February 2025, when 4,400 minors were due to be redistributed from the Canary Islands, Andalucia was initially allocated 677 children, later reduced slightly after political backlash. Yet a significant number remain in limbo.

Officials say the delays are down to the complexity of each case. Every minor has an individual file, often involving legal checks, welfare reports and in some cases requests to be placed in specific regions due to family ties.

Funding tensions grow

Andalucia currently has 688 specialised places for foreign minors, who often require additional support, particularly with language and integration.

The regional government says it is willing to take in the children allocated to it but is also demanding more support from Madrid.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.