Left-wing political groups to the left of the PSOE are closing in on the government to prevent the return of more than 40 Sahrawi citizens to Morocco who are currently at Barajas airport in Madrid. Leaders of Sumar and Podemos have visited Terminal 1 of the airport to see the situation of the Sahrawis firsthand, although they were unable to enter the area where they are being held. Fatma El Galia, the lawyer representing most of them, stated that five individuals were still on a hunger strike as of Tuesday afternoon. Sumar MP Tesh Sidi and Enrique Santiago supported the concentration in favor of the Sahrawis.
The Sahrawi citizens denied entry, as explained by their lawyer, have evidence including photographs, videos, court judgments, and police citations that demonstrate their persecution by Moroccan authorities. Santiago suggested that even if the Office of Asylum and Refuge determines that asylum is not warranted, they could follow the suggestion of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and allow their entry to Spain on humanitarian grounds, as they are clearly stateless. The Euro MEPs of Sumar also wrote a letter to the Interior Minister warning that the deportations could violate international law and the right to asylum.
Podemos also pressured the government, with MP Ione Belarra seeking entry to the area where the Sahrawis are being held. The party’s spokesman demanded that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez address the situation and criticized the government for accepting other refugees but refusing entry to Sahrawis facing persecution. According to their lawyer, individuals in the holding area include a one-and-a-half-year-old child with an untreated allergy, a one-year-old child, a deaf-mute person with cancer, and a woman who had a miscarriage while in the facility. Interior claims that medical services were available to assist them.
Parties like ERC, EH-Bildu, and PNV have called for the Interior Minister to appear before Parliament to address the situation of the Sahrawis facing potential deportation to Morocco. The government states that these are not deportations but denials of entry, as individuals who do not meet entry requirements and request asylum are required to return to their point of origin. Interior argues that it is the responsibility of the airline that brought them to return them to their departure airport. They maintain that the individuals are not necessarily returned to Morocco and that the airline may take them back to their point of origin. Interior contends that the individuals are not handed over to Moroccan authorities.
