The Spanish government has faced significant backlash after a recent decision to enforce a new distribution system for unaccompanied foreign minors (menas).

At a controversial conference held on Monday, Sira Rego, the Minister of Youth and Childhood, effectively prevented regional ministers from voting on the proposed allocation criteria.

This decision was perceived as an attempt to impose the new criteria negotiated between the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Junts per Catalunya, a coalition that includes pro-independence parties, despite opposition from almost all regional councils governed by the People’s Party (PP).

The controversy unfolded during a special session of the Sectorial Conference, which was initially scheduled for the previous week but was postponed due to a large-scale blackout.

Upon session commencement, accusations of "anti-democratic mockery" arose as the vote was not permitted.

A participating minister remarked that the situation underscored a "legality issue" surrounding the meeting’s convocation.

Regions governed by the PP expressed alarm over the government's unilateral imposition of a new distribution framework, which they argue diverges from a previously unanimously approved system.

The decision, alleged to be politically motivated, has raised concerns that it prioritizes the interests of certain political figures over effective policy solutions.

According to their account, representatives from 13 PP-led communities highlighted systemic failures in the central government's approach to migration, emphasizing that over 10,000 individuals have died attempting to reach European shores.

They criticized the reconfiguration of minor distribution as favoring an independent party that does not hold governance in an autonomous community.

During the meeting, Minister Rego bypassed procedural norms to avoid a vote on the new criteria, citing administrative reasons.

Opponents claimed that the method of enforcement could lead to detrimental impacts on regional reception facilities, particularly in the Galician community where officials warned of a potential "collapse" in protective services due to insufficient resources allocated under the new guidelines.

In Galicia, it was noted that the distribution decision, which could allocate 326 minors, risks creating segregated housing solutions and destabilizing a long-standing system of care that has effectively functioned for three decades.

The Minister from the Canary Islands, Candelaria Delgado, expressed disappointment over the lack of cooperation from both other regions and the central government, specifically mentioning that over 1,400 asylum-seeking minors are still awaiting relocation, a situation mandated by the Supreme Court.

She characterized the outcome of the meeting as a regression rather than a progression.

Furthermore, accusations emerged surrounding the alleged strategic use of minors as political leverage by the government to maintain its hold on power.

Regional leaders emphasized disparities in the capacity of different communities to handle minor populations, with Madrid reportedly establishing more than 360 spots in the last two years compared to only five in Catalonia, despite similar demographic pressures.

The ongoing situation has also led to assertions of mismanagement, with claims that minors are being distributed without proper oversight and that age verification processes are insufficient, compromising the integrity of child protection systems.

In response to these developments, regions that have not yet filed legal challenges to the decree announced plans to escalate the matter to the Constitutional Court, alleging violations of regional autonomy and procedural irregularities.

Minister Dávila noted that even Minister Ángel Víctor Torres had previously acknowledged potential constitutional issues surrounding the decree’s approval.