Spain lawmakers approve underage migrant plan to relieve Canary Islands

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish lawmakers approved on Thursday a plan to relocate thousands of underage migrants staying in cramped youth centres, mainly on the Canary Islands, to the rest of the country as its outposts struggle to cope with higher migration flows.

The seven Spanish islands off northwestern Africa's Atlantic coast host more than 6,000 migrant minors and the North African enclave of Ceuta over 800, living in overcrowded centres in substandard conditions.

The Canarian archipelago is still struggling to absorb an all-time migration peak from 2024, although irregular migration has slowed down by 28% this year.

Under-18s who migrate alone to Spain are entitled to government protection and aid by law.

The number of children and teenagers arriving in Spain without their parents or tutors more than doubled over the last three years, according to Regional Minister Angel Victor Torres.

"It's a humanitarian issue, but also an opportunity. These children will be part of our economic structure, of our labour, social and cultural potential in the future. Let us invest in their future, because their future will be everyone's future," he told the lower house.

The plan, which according to Youth Minister Sira Rego could begin this summer, takes into account several factors such as each region's population, per capita income and unemployment. It also factors in how many migrants under 18 every region already handles.

Spain's 17 regions had to detail by the end of March how many underage migrants they have under their care and how many they can assist, so the ministry could calculate how to redistribute them.

"Today it's Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands, but tomorrow it could be any other territory," Torres said.

The Atlantic route is especially dangerous, as the ocean's rough weather can easily capsize the fragile rafts, pirogues and dinghies used by most migrants.

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Ed Osmond)