434 migrant child places: Balearics go to court

The Balearic Government is taking Spain’s new decree on migrant children to the Supreme Court after it set 434 reference places for unaccompanied minors in the islands. The Consell de Govern, the Balearic cabinet, authorised the Autonomous Community’s legal service to bring the case on Friday, spokesman Antoni Costa said in Palma. The decree raises the ordinary capacity from 406 to 434 places.

Why the Balearics are challenging the figure

The regional government says the method used to reach the new total has not been properly justified. The decree applies eight different criteria, using percentages and indexes, but the government says it does not explain why those measures were chosen or how they produced each region’s allocation.

Costa said the system favours some autonomous communities while putting others at a disadvantage.

Dispute over who controls the system

The Balearic Government also questions whether the state can use a royal decree to set the ordinary capacity of child protection and guardianship systems in every autonomous community.

In earlier legal challenges, it argued that protecting minors is an exclusive regional responsibility. It also said requirements for declaring an extraordinary migration contingency were not put to a vote at the Childhood and Adolescence Sectoral Conference on 5 May 2025.

The new action continues the Balearics’ court fight over state rules on migration contingencies and the protection of unaccompanied foreign minors. The government has already challenged Royal Decrees 658/2025 and 743/2025; the latter set the islands’ ordinary capacity at 406 minors. On 15 July, the head of the Autonomous Community’s legal service issued a report on whether to challenge the latest decree.

Topics: Migration · Social affairs · Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com