'Don't send me back': The cry of a 12-year-old in Ceuta that moved an officer and stopped deportation

A 12-year-old unaccompanied boy from Morocco narrowly avoided deportation from Ceuta, Spain, after his pleas to remain in the country moved a Spanish army officer.

According to an Associated Press journalist, the boy was crying and begging not to be sent back to his country as Spanish soldiers escorted him toward the border. The visible distress of the child, coupled with the presence of media and onlookers, prompted a strong reaction.

The intervention came from a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish army, who halted the deportation process. This decision ensured the boy, identified as a minor, would not be forcibly returned. Most adult Moroccan migrants had either returned voluntarily or were deported by Spanish police.

The child was ultimately handed over to the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil). The incident highlights the complex humanitarian situations at European borders and the impact of individual interventions in such cases.