Moroccan Family with Sick Child Faces Homelessness After Migration Scam in Spain

The family, who were living with a relative in Morocco, paid 2,000 euros to the truck driver who smuggled them illegally into Madrid. From there, they took a bus to Pamplona where they had paid a rental deposit for an apartment. But on site, they discovered that they had been victims of a scam, in addition to having been victims of theft of their passports and the little money they had during the bus trip.

The family was housed for a month by a Moroccan acquaintance in Pamplona, before finding themselves on the street on April 28, explains Tere González Imaz, from the "Apoyo Mutuo" association, an association that has provided them with food and clothing and taken care of their accommodation in a pension. The family said they had already met with the city’s social services agents five times to initiate regular reception procedures in order to enroll their three daughters in school and obtain health insurance that will allow them to treat their sick daughter.

The family has solved the housing problem for the moment. But there remains "the underlying problem", namely the situation of their sick daughter, laments Peio Lasa, also a member of the association, denouncing the attitude of the city hall and the regional government which "blame each other" for providing a solution to the family’s emergency situation. The government of Navarre indicated on Monday that the family should apply for international protection before benefiting from these social benefits.

Applying for international protection "would be a fraud on the law, because this family is not being persecuted and is not fleeing war or a natural disaster," explains Lasa, recalling that they left Morocco "because their little girl is suffering from a serious illness that cannot be treated in Morocco." The family has already spent "eleven days wandering from one hostel to another. The eldest looks sad, pensive and the little one suffers from anxiety attacks," Lasa relates. The parents do not plan to return to Morocco, as there is "no treatment in Morocco" for their daughter.