Teenage Moroccan Migrant in Spain Faces Uncertain Future After Perilous Journey

Upon his arrival in Ceuta, Hassan was arrested and placed with hundreds of other underage migrants in the La Esperanza center. Today, he is one of the 20 minors that the central government has sent to Galicia to "relieve" the autonomous city that was invaded by migrants on May 17 and 18, causing a migration crisis with Morocco.

To read: Unaccompanied Moroccan Minors Face Dire Conditions in Spanish Enclave of Ceuta

Hassan lives in a house in Vigo, managed by the Faibén foundation. "I left Morocco to build my life. I just want to work and help my family," he explains to elDiario.es. At La Esperanza, he lived with other minors in rooms where they could reach 16 people and they barely went out on the street. "The conditions are better here in Vigo, there are not as many children," he rejoices.

To read: Spain Relocates Moroccan Migrant Minors from Ceuta to Mainland Regions

The young Moroccan, who arrived in Vigo on June 30, is described by his new educators as a very hardworking, collaborative and respectful young man, but also very reserved. "What worries us is the future and the regularization of the situation" of these young people, says Angel Martínez Puente, a social worker and founder of Faibén who wants Hassan to study cooking. But he has no papers, no residence permit or work permit. "He wants to integrate. He works hard," he admits.

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Hassan will be 18 years old next January and will unfortunately have to leave the center, unless the Galicia administration grants him an extension. But he would not be able to benefit from it since he has no papers. "It’s the snake biting its own tail. It’s a structural problem that the State must address urgently and in a structural and political way" to facilitate the lives of migrants, observes Martinez Puente. As for Hassan, he is concerned about his future. Every day, he asks how long he has left to get his papers. "At 17, with a maturity clearly superior to that of the other residents of Galicia, he mainly wants to know what will happen," notes Carmen Zamora, another social worker at the center. "We tell him every day what will happen tomorrow. It is very important that he knows it," Martinez Puente estimates in turn.