The Spanish Government presented a modification of the immigration law to the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, establishing a framework for the redistribution of unaccompanied migrant minors among autonomous communities.

This initiative, sanctioned through a Royal Decree Law, was included in the agenda last minute after securing the support of the pro-independence party Junts for the eventual vote in Congress within a maximum of 30 days.

The Government's assurance of Junts' backing was critical to prevent the measure from lapsing as it had over the summer.

This legislation will enable transfers from regions facing significant pressure, such as the Canary Islands and Ceuta, to other areas when necessary.

The Ministry of Finance will compensate communities for the costs incurred by overburdened resources following these transfers, with a fund allocated 100 million euros for the current year.

The Ministry of Youth and Childhood will determine compensation based on the 'normal capacity' of each community, calculated as one accommodation space for every 2,250 residents.

Communities will need to demonstrate that they maintain this minimum capacity and highlight that accepting minors from other areas would exceed their resources.

The deployment of this initiative will be activated through a 'migration contingency declaration,' triggered when a regional capacity for receiving minors triplicates its normal levels.

Factors such as the population size (weighted at 50%), population dispersion (2%), per capita income (13%), and unemployment (15%) will inform the distribution criteria.

Additionally, elements unique to each community, such as insularity (2%) and border status (2%), the number of minors accepted over the past six months (6%), and prior efforts to accommodate this demographic (10%) will also be considered.

The negotiations with Junts, which had previously blocked changes to the immigration law, have progressed in recent weeks.

A recent agreement between Junts and the Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) to delegate certain immigration powers to the Catalan government has facilitated discussions about the redistribution of migrant children in spite of Junts' stipulation that Catalonia should not receive additional responsibilities.

Though specific distribution figures have not been disclosed, all autonomous communities, including Catalonia and the Basque Country, are expected to receive some minors coming from Ceuta and the Canary Islands.

Catalonia and the Basque Country reportedly will accept a limited number, given their proportionally higher capacities (4,600 and 1,500, respectively) compared to other regions, which have been under pressure to ramp up their accommodations.

Junts has emphasized that the agreement ensures that the number of unaccompanied minors sent to Catalonia will be kept to a minimum, with estimates suggesting 20 to 30 minors allocated to the region, while Madrid may receive over 700.

The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has announced her intention to challenge the decree in court.

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has expressed support for the decree, calling it a significant development for both the Canary Islands and Spain.

The Ceuta government has also backed the agreement.

Communities have until March 31 to submit updated data regarding the minors in their care, after which definitive projections regarding the distribution can be established.

Initial assessments indicate that Madrid and Andalusia, which currently have inadequate spaces (fewer than the recommended 2.25 per 1,000 residents), need to increase their capacities significantly to meet the required ratios.

In contrast, regions like Catalonia and the Basque Country have exceeded their obligations due to their scalable infrastructure and longstanding efforts to expand their accommodation facilities.

The ongoing negotiations reflect broader political divides, particularly as the Popular Party (PP) has conditioned its support on amendments to the government's immigration policies.

As discussions faltered, tensions rose, exacerbated by Vox's vocal opposition regarding the treatment of migrant minors, which has led to ruptures in political alliances at various governmental levels.

The implementation of the decree will require careful consideration of the profiles of minors for relocation, with initial transfers mandated within 15 days of their registration.