Administrative protection for unaccopanied migrant children in Catalonia: a constitutional approach

Abstract

The current article offers a constitutional analysis of the main patterns of the regulation of unprotected immigrant children in Catalonia, where recent legislation has been enacted to adapt the general system of protection to this new phenomena. Starting from the minors main characteristics and from the mechanins of protection there in force, the article deals with four important subjects: first, the potentially ineffective linkage of the institutions designed to protect these minors; second, the measure of (re)educative detention in centres; third, the constitutional problems which arise by way of the measure on minors’ repatriation; fourth, the lack of cooperation among the different administrative agencies in charge of the childrens’ protection.