The migrant minors who arrive in Aragon within the state relocation system begin to “recover their adolescence” after their reception, when they access training, live together in small homes and have integration opportunities after a migratory process that forced them to assume adult responsibilities, according to the Accem organization explains to EFE.
This March 18 marks one year since the approval of Royal Decree-Law 2/2025, the regulation with which the Government promoted the mandatory distribution of migrant minors who arrived in territories with strong migratory pressure such as the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla. One year later, Aragon has taken in 84 young people transferred within this mechanism.
According to data from the Government of Aragon, of those 84 minors, 57 come from the Canary Islands, 23 from Ceuta and 4 from Melilla. The community is working with an initial forecast of 214 places assigned in the state distribution, after different estimates were handled in different phases of the process.
The arrival of the young people did not begin until months after the norm was approved, since the transfer files began to be received in September 2025 and the first minors arrived in Aragon in October.
Since then, in addition to the transfers carried out, 42 files have been archived for different reasons: from errors in the assignment to autonomous communities to situations in which the minor had found work, reached the age of majority or was serving internment measures.
The relocation of these young people is also part of the development of Royal Decree 658/2025, which established a maximum period of one year from the entry into force of the first regulation —March 20, 2025— to complete the transfers.
Protection and social and labor integration
Beyond the figures, the process has meant the arrival of adolescents and young people to reception centers and small homes spread across the territory.
The organization Accem, which works in the care of these people, highlights that most of the minors they attend to are close to turning 18, so the intervention is oriented not only to their protection, but also to their social and labor insertion.
The territorial head of Accem in Aragon and Navarre, Julia Ortega, explains that during these months young people have been arriving from the most strained territories of the reception system. The work with them, she points out, focuses on them acquiring skills to function in their new environment and on facilitating their access to training and employment.
Bet on the rural environment
One of the distinctive elements of the model applied in Aragon is the commitment to the rural environment. Accem prioritizes small coexistence centers that reproduce a family environment over large facilities. “We believe that, although the rural environment presents difficulties, the advantages are greater,” explains Ortega, who highlights that the lower saturation of training resources in villages facilitates integration.
Nevertheless, the initial adaptation is not always easy. Many young people, like any teenager, imagine their future in big cities but over time, assures the head of Accem, the perception changes upon discovering the training and employment opportunities that small municipalities offer and the welcome of their neighbors.
The biggest obstacle, he/she recognizes, is usually the initial rejection or the fear that can appear in some communities due to lack of knowledge. That's why the work of the entities is not limited to young people, but also includes dialogue with city councils and neighbors to foster coexistence.
Despite those initial difficulties, Ortega assures that experience shows that the towns end up being receptive. Many of these young people end up finding work and stay in the regions where they have been trained.
“The most beautiful thing is to see how they recover their adolescence,” points out. After a migratory process that forced them to make adult-like decisions, adds, many return to live “as what they are: very young boys eager to start anew.”