Multiple migrants in search of asylum are currently stranded at Madrid airport, residing in cramped quarters with poor living conditions, as noted by Spanish human rights organizations, who have described the situation as “unsustainable”.
According to Spain’s Commission for Assistance to Refugees (CEAR), the number of individuals seeking international protection upon arrival at Barajas, Madrid’s international airport, has been on the rise since the previous summer.
“In December, the situation became unsustainable,” stated CEAR spokesperson Elena Munoz. “People sleep on mattresses on the floor, sometimes sharing a single mattress… There are issues with bed bugs and cockroaches.”
Last week, there were around 400 individuals stranded at the airport, with more arriving each day, as per Munoz, who was unable to provide an exact count for this week.
A representative from the Spanish interior ministry also declined to offer any estimates, noting that the number of migrants “fluctuates” with flight arrivals.
As per the ministry, there are three rooms with bathrooms designated for migrants seeking asylum, and a fourth room is set to open imminently.
Madrid airport has increased surveillance of its facilities, bolstered the number of police, border officers, and cleaning staff, while collaborating with the foreign ministry to issue additional transit visas.
Most of the migrants were from African countries like Senegal, Mali, Equatorial Guinea, and Morocco, as well as from Colombia and Venezuela, according to CEAR. These individuals arrive without a visa or lacking necessary documents and must wait for their entry to be approved or declined.
Illegal immigration and asylum have been contentious political issues in Europe, the United States, and other nations in recent years due to an increase in migrants undertaking perilous journeys across the Mediterranean and to the U.S.-Mexico border.
CEAR identified a scarcity of interpreters and extended waiting periods of 10-20 days for application processing as some of the factors contributing to the issue at Madrid airport.
The Red Cross also expressed concerns and opted to temporarily halt provision of services at the airport.
“At one point, it’s pointless to continue doing our job if we can’t take care of these people as they deserve,” remarked Red Cross representative Jose Sanchez in an interview with Onda Cero radio. “All these people are fleeing very difficult situations.”
(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Catarina Demony and Emma Pinedo; editing by Andrei Khalip and Mark Heinrich)
