Spain has reversed its stance and will allow 500 unaccompanied migrant children in Ceuta to relocate to the mainland, weeks after roughly 70,000 people crossed into the North African enclave. Most adult migrants have since returned to Morocco, but Spanish law obligates the state to care for minors until they reach the age of 18. The decision creates political friction, as regions governed by the conservative People’s Party and far-right Vox resist receiving the children. The government plans to use NGOs and child-protection agencies to assist vulnerable children, including girls, enabling the government to avoid shifting responsibility to regional governments. The European Commission, however, said EU law requires irregular migrants in Ceuta to be returned, exposing a conflict between European rules and Spain’s current legal framework, as the latter has not incorporated the latest migration pact.