This is the moment a 12-year-old migrant boy was spared being returned to Morocco after breaking down in tears near the border in Ceuta.
The visibly distressed youngster was filmed begging Spanish soldiers not to send him back, crying: ‘No, Morocco, no.’
The incident unfolded near the Tarajal crossing on Tuesday, just days after tens of thousands of migrants entered the Spanish enclave during an unprecedented mass crossing.
According to Cadena SER, witnesses said the boy was walking towards the taxi rank near the crossing, where large numbers of families had just arrived from Morocco.
Several women intervened to help translate what he was trying to say, which is when it emerged that he was travelling alone and was not accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Under Spanish law and child protection rules, unaccompanied foreign minors cannot be summarily returned at the border, prompting officers to halt the transfer.
The broadcaster reported that the child was in a clear state of anxiety and struggling to communicate.
A lieutenant colonel ordered the operation to stop after confirming the boy was an unaccompanied minor protected under Spanish legislation.
A Guardia Civil officer then took charge of the child before handing him over to child protection services. He was later treated by the Red Cross and taken by ambulance back into Ceuta.
The incident comes as Ceuta continues to grapple with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis following last Thursday’s mass migrant arrivals.
The autonomous city says it is now caring for 862 unaccompanied minors in official centres and emergency facilities, although authorities believe many more children who entered Spain have yet to come forward or are still hiding.
Meanwhile, police sources told EFE that at least 44 people – mostly young migrants and children – remain missing following the crossings, with desperate relatives searching for them through Spanish and Moroccan media as well as social media.
Children’s charity Save the Children has also warned that hundreds of children remain at serious risk, saying Ceuta’s child protection system is now caring for around 1,000 children despite having capacity for fewer than 100.
