Spain Says Yemeni Asylum Seeker Can Stay, but Police Send Him Back to Morocco
On October 26, a Spanish court ordered that a Yemeni asylum seeker be allowed to stay in Spain while his appeal is pending. But Yaseen had already been sent back to Morocco. Madrid says it received the ruling too late and now promises to facilitate his return.
In Youssoufia, Yaseen S. A. finds himself on the street, without money or a change of clothes. His belongings were left at the reception center in Sebta. “I have no shelter and I don’t know where to go,” he tells Spanish daily elDiario.es.
The Yemeni fled his country in 2017 to escape, according to his account, forced recruitment by Houthi rebels. After years of wandering, including in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Morocco, he managed to reach Sebta by swimming on July 29, 2026.
His asylum application was rejected by Spain’s Interior Ministry, despite the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) advising against the refusal. His lawyer then appealed to the Audiencia Nacional, a Spanish court with jurisdiction, among other things, over appeals against administrative decisions.
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On the morning of Monday, October 26, police came to collect Yaseen from the temporary reception center in Sebta. His lawyers immediately alerted the authorities: a court appeal was underway. That same day, the Audiencia Nacional ordered, as an emergency measure, that the young man be allowed to remain in Spanish territory until his appeal was examined.
Madrid acknowledges deportation and promises his return
Yaseen was nevertheless transferred to Morocco. Speaking to Cadena SER, Spain’s Interior Ministry confirmed his return. It said that, in its view, the appeal deadline had expired the previous Friday and that the court ruling did not reach it until Monday afternoon, after the deportation had already been carried out.
Patricia Fernández Vicens, a lawyer with the Coordinadora de Barrios association, disputes this account. She says she alerted police before the transfer and denounces a violation of the principle of non-refoulement.
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In response to the court ruling, Madrid announced that it would allow Yaseen to return to Spain if he presents himself at the border crossing. If his lawyers are unable to contact him, the Spanish Embassy in Morocco will have to take the necessary steps to find him.
