Spanish author and columnist Angela Vallvey has launched a scathing critique against both Morocco and Spain's central government over the migrant crisis in Ceuta. Writing in an opinion column published on August 10, 2026, Vallvey accused Rabat of expelling thousands of children across the border while alleging Madrid is redirecting minors to opposition-led regions.
Vallvey claimed Morocco is using young civilians to besiege Spanish territory while asserting territorial ownership over the enclave. She further argued that Spain's progressive central administration is transferring young arrivals to autonomous communities governed by the Partido Popular, Spain's main conservative opposition party, to exert economic and social pressure on its political rivals.
Addressing territorial disputes, Vallvey asserted that Ceuta, historically known as Hispania Transfretana, and Melilla, known as Russaddir, were Spanish long before Morocco existed as a nation. She rejected assertions of Spanish colonialism as an intolerable lie, noting that both enclaves were already Spanish when northern Morocco was administered as a Spanish protectorate in the 20th century.
Calls for repatriation of minors
The columnist questioned whether children are being deployed as instruments of war and politics, comparing the situation to the era of Nebuchadnezzar and ancient human sacrifices. She asked how many children have died during the recent border breach in Ceuta and demanded an immediate end to the normalization of such tactics.
Vallvey stated that children belong in their home country under the protection of their parents, culture, and laws. She argued that no nation can raise its neighbour's population, proposing that minors be returned directly to their families or handed over to Moroccan authorities so officials can locate their relatives.
In her column, Vallvey criticized what she described as the pull effect created by freeloading leaders who condemn young migrants to dangerous trials. She questioned the presence of progressive universal fraternity, arguing that Spanish tax dollars are being used to subsidize foreign arrivals promised Spanish passports by central authorities.
Controversy over macroeconomic impact
Vallvey noted that out of the planet's more than 8.3 billion inhabitants, nearly everyone owns a smartphone like an iPhone, including Moroccans arriving at the border. She mocked moral claims from self-described feminist and plurinationalist leaders, asking what intake quota they considered appropriate for Spain.
Taking aim at economic justifications for migration, Vallvey sarcastically suggested that welcoming billions of minors would boost gross domestic product because low-income individuals must eat daily. She added that ruling officials in Madrid and European leadership in Brussels would celebrate such statistical increases recorded by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
Background on North African enclaves
Ceuta and Melilla are two Spanish autonomous cities located on the coast of North Africa, sharing land borders with Morocco. Ceuta came under Spanish control in 1580, while Melilla became Spanish in 1497. Spain also established a protectorate over northern Morocco from 1912 until Moroccan independence in 1956. Today, administrative responsibility for unaccompanied migrant minors is shared between Spain's central government and its seventeen autonomous communities.
