The Government of the Canary Islands, facing severe overcrowding in its child protection centres, urgently requested the Central Government to transfer 546 unaccompanied children seeking asylum to the national reception system and to automatically include future applicants. The Central Government failed to respond.
The Supreme Court of Spain issued a precautionary order requiring the Central Government to admit all unaccompanied minors seeking asylum into the national system within ten days, citing overcrowding, mental health risks, and the systemic collapse of regional infrastructure.
The Court emphasized that the best interests of the child must drive intergovernmental cooperation, and that failing to activate the national reception system violates both domestic and international legal standards.
Read the full decision here.