Four Asylum Seekers Escape Through Ceiling at Madrid Airport, Sparking Security Concerns

The four asylum seekers managed to reach the roof of the building and disappear into nature. The police are searching for them. This escape shows the security flaws in the waiting rooms for asylum seekers, the police unions said to EFE, denouncing the "poor working conditions". "You can’t work in these conditions, without security measures and without adequate conditions," they argue, fearing that the fugitives "may wander on the runways or in various places where they could jeopardize security."

The Spanish government had introduced transit visas for nationals of Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and Kenya to prevent the escape of the latter during stopovers in Madrid. Fernando Grande-Marlaska assured on Tuesday, after the Council of Ministers, that he is working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to "individually" examine each asylum application from the Sahrawis.

According to data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, just over 70 Sahrawis from Morocco have been waiting for nearly a month at the Madrid-Barajas airport to obtain asylum or be sent back to their country. Some of them even started a hunger strike a few days ago as a sign of protest. Last Monday, the department led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska tried to deport some of the Moroccan Sahrawis detained at Barajas, but some refused to board the plane.

Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly denounced the overcrowded and insecure conditions in which asylum seekers are detained at the Barajas airport during the processing of their application. In January, the national police unions had denounced the escape of nearly 30 asylum seekers of Maghreb origin, citing "risks to air safety."