The far-right Vox punishes migrant minors in Aragon and takes away the 17 euros per week it maintains for Spaniards

The Government of Aragon has withdrawn this Monday the weekly allowance of 17 euros that unaccompanied foreign minors received in the community's protection centers. The payment will continue for Spanish minors under the guardianship of the same Administration, so nationality will be the criterion that determines who keeps the aid and who stops receiving it.

The order came from the Department of Deregulation, Social Welfare and Family, led by the Aragonese vice president and regional leader of the far-right Vox, Alejandro Nolasco. The suppression has been applied through an internal instruction coordinated by the general director of Deregulation, Raúl López, and the managing director of the Aragonese Institute of Social Services, Marta Tejero.

The department assures that these amounts lacked regulated support and estimates that they represented an annual outlay of 180,000 euros. Nolasco has presented them as "tips for unaccompanied minors" and has argued that this money is equivalent to the cost of up to seven new places for elderly people in residences. The vice president has thus contrasted two groups that directly depend on the protection of public services to justify a cut aimed solely against foreign children and adolescents.

The entities that work in the centers reject that description. They explain that the small allowance allows minors to face daily expenses during their school and leisure hours, interact with other young people and learn to manage their own money. It can also be used as an educational incentive within coexistence and autonomy programs that prepare adolescents for their exit from the protection system.

A difference between minors under the same guardianship

The decision exclusively affects unaccompanied foreign minors. Spanish children and adolescents housed in centers of the Government of Aragon will keep the allowance, which will continue to be managed by the directorates of each protection resource.

The Aragonese president, Jorge Azcón, has avoided going into the merits of the order promoted by his government partner. He has limited himself to pointing out that it is up to Nolasco's department to offer explanations and has recalled that some centers could already restrict these amounts in the face of certain behaviors. Azcón has not announced any rectification either, despite the fact that the measure establishes different treatment between minors under guardianship based on their origin.

The withdrawal is part of the migration agenda incorporated by Vox into the regional Executive after its pact with the Popular Party. Nolasco's department has announced in recent months forensic tests to determine the age of young people, more private security in centers, and specific audits on spending dedicated to immigration.

Aragon currently cares for about 238 unaccompanied foreign minors, about half of the 441 places set as ordinary capacity for the community. This data contradicts the narrative of saturation used by Vox to speak of minors "forcibly" taken in due to an alleged imposition by the central government.

Childhood takes the order to the Prosecutor's Office

The Ministry of Youth and Childhood has sent an official letter to the Prosecutor's Office of the Juvenile Unit to examine the decision. The department led by Sira Rego considers that the difference in treatment may violate the fundamental rights of children based on birth, origin, or personal circumstances.

"Taking away a weekly allowance from boys and girls who are alone in our country is one of the most repugnant things we have seen in recent years," the minister denounced. Rego has called the order "racist" and "miserable" and has accused the Aragonese Government of criminalizing minors for being born outside Spain.

The official letter warns of possible discrimination, a disregard for the best interests of the minor, and even acts that could constitute a hate crime. The Ministry reminds that administrations that assume guardianship are obliged to cover the daily needs of minors and promote their integration and development under equal conditions.

The Constitution prohibits in its article 14 any discrimination based on birth, race, or personal circumstance and obliges in article 39 public authorities to guarantee the protection of children. Child protection legislation also recognizes their rights without differences based on nationality, origin, or family situation.

Rego has placed the decision within the "racist priority" agreed upon by PP and Vox in Aragon and has warned that this type of policy fuels a climate of hatred against migrant children. The Juvenile Prosecutor's Office must now decide whether to open proceedings and what measures to demand to guarantee the rights of the affected children and adolescents.