An internal decree from the National Police establishes “special surveillance control” on people “of North African origin” who make up the group of migrants not admitted to Madrid-Barajas airport. The order, to which elDiario.es had access, states that “100% of the escapees” from the rooms where the non-admitted people are concentrated were until now “of North African origin”.
The letter is dated this Thursday, October 3. On September 30, as described in the police document, “four North African people” used the “rififi operating mode”, consisting of accessing the roof and from there to the public space of T2. For this reason, he adds, “it is necessary to strengthen security measures.” Consulted by the General Directorate of Police, a spokesperson declined to comment.
The flight of these people occurred at a time when dozens of citizens holding Moroccan passports, including many Sahrawis, had been stuck for weeks in different terminals in Barajas after having requested asylum upon their arrival in Spain. Most of them left Marrakech airport on a flight to Cuba, but during their stopover in Madrid, they took the opportunity to request international protection from the Spanish authorities.
Even if those who fled have Moroccan nationality, it is not known if they are really Sahrawi, given that the Ministry of the Interior has not differentiated for weeks between asylum seekers who say they are Sahrawi – and who seek protection precisely for this reason – and the Moroccans. .
The Code of Ethics of the National Police ends with a decalogue which, in its fifth point, stipulates that any discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, religion, beliefs, sex, age, ideology, disability or any other reason of the same nature should be avoided. Furthermore, circular number 2/2012 of the General Directorate of Police “relating to the identification of citizens” prohibits “massive or indiscriminate actions based solely on ethnic criteria”.
The order to “Strengthen the security of the inadmissibility/asylum rooms of T1, T2 and T4S” is signed by a chief inspector, commanding the Operational Citizen Security Section of the airport police station. This chief inspector has under her command around 250 national police officers.
Application for international protection
These people arrive in the asylum rooms of Spanish airports and, once disembarked, express the need to request international protection at border control. This procedure – applied in airports, ports or border posts – is different from that activated on national territory: it is an accelerated procedure, in which the authorities must respond within a few days if they admit or not this request. Once submitted, candidates wait for the response in these rooms with limited places, from which they cannot leave.
If the resolution is positive, these people will be able to enter the national territory with a temporary residence permit as asylum seekers. If this is negative, they will be sent back to their country of origin. In the case of requests linked to statelessness status – which generally register all Sahrawis in parallel because they do not have a recognized nationality, since they do not identify themselves as Moroccans – the procedure is generally longer, c This is why international organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recommend the entry into Spanish territory of these people so that they can wait for the resolution of the procedure in Spain and thus guarantee their viability.
The department led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska has repeatedly attempted to return Sahrawi asylum seekers without resolving statelessness procedures, despite warnings from organizations such as Judges for Democracy and the Spanish Commission for Assistance to refugees. Added to this is the situation of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions that social organizations have been denouncing since the end of last year due to the increase in arrivals of asylum seekers at Madrid airport.
Amnesty International has repeatedly denounced the repression inflicted by the Moroccan authorities against attempts to protest by the Sahrawi population residing in the territories occupied by Morocco. The organization has documented cases of torture or ill-treatment against Sahrawi activists, particularly after participating in or organizing demonstrations for the holding of a self-determination referendum, ordered by the UN in 1991 and which is still ongoing decades later.
