Moroccan Woman’s 33-Year Struggle for Legal Recognition in Spanish Enclave

The case of Amira is particularly striking. This 47-year-old Moroccan has lived in Sebta since her childhood. Despite a dozen applications, the resident has remained invisible to the Spanish administration for almost 33 years, according to the NGO No Name Kitchen, cited by Cadenaser.

Fleeing a "violent childhood" in Marrakech, Amira arrived in Ceuta at the age of 14, attracted by the presence of her sister who lived there. Lacking papers, she has never been to school and has spent more than 7,000 euros on lawyers, one of whom cheated her after collecting a considerable sum.

Despite her attempts and those of her employers, all her applications for regularization have been rejected by the administration. "Every time I go to immigration, they tell me I don’t exist in Ceuta," laments Amira.

Her daily life is marked by constant challenges and fears. She earns less than 500 euros a month, works in the black market, and is afraid of being sent back to Morocco. "I’m afraid to go back to the hell I came from," she confides.

Celia Martín, from the No Name Kitchen project in Ceuta, points to the difficulties encountered in applying for asylum or an appointment with the immigration service. Booking slots are only briefly and rarely available, trapping many people.

Living in fear of deportation to Morocco, Amira, who has no right to health care, pays private insurance despite her low monthly salary of less than 500 euros. She has also not renewed her passport, an essential document for her procedures, for fear of not being able to return to Ceuta.