Spain's Supreme Court rules deportation of Moroccan minors in 2021 illegal

Spain's Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the August 2021 deportation of hundreds of Moroccan minors from Ceuta, following a mass border crossing, was illegal, Reuters reported.

The ruling, passed by the Kingdom's highest judicial authority, declared the expulsion of these minors unlawful and dismissed an appeal from the Spanish government against a previous ruling by a Ceuta court. This earlier ruling had permitted the minors' return to Spain.

The Supreme Court based its decision on the violation of both local immigration laws and the European Human Rights Convention. The judges found that authorities in Ceuta failed to meet necessary immigration procedures, endangering the minors' «physical and moral integrity» and exposing them to potential «physical or psychological harm».

For context, Spain deported 700 Moroccan minors shortly after they irregularly crossed the border alongside 12,000 others in May 2021.