The Supreme Court has mandated that the Government take immediate action to ensure the protection of more than one thousand unaccompanied minors residing in the Canary Islands who wish to apply for asylum. The court noted a ‘clear non-compliance’ with protective measures established previously, emphasising the need for swift action or face potential sanctions. The Government has two months to allocate resources effectively for handling these asylum requests, ensuring minors receive their rights under international protection laws.

Judges specified that a comprehensive review of minors’ statuses should be completed within thirty days, and all necessary resources must be provided to process their applications promptly. They made it clear that delays in providing these resources could lead to coercive measures against responsible officials, particularly concerning excessive backlogs in application processing.

The current situation highlights significant gaps in management as many minors have reportedly been unable to formalise their requests for asylum in over a year, which prevents their access to necessary protections. The judges reiterated that there is an urgent need for the Government to engage effectively in guaranteeing the rights of these vulnerable individuals adequately.

Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, urged governmental collaboration to address the issue and indicated a forthcoming inter-ministerial meeting to tackle the matter. The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, expressed hope that the situation would resolve positively while lamenting lost time, as many minors have turned eighteen and their rights have been overlooked during this period.