Migrants climb over embassy wall in Spain to grab paperwork after PM offered 500,000 legal status
Chaos erupted in Spain as crowds of migrants stormed the Gambian embassy in Madrid yesterday, as the country recently granted legal status to half a million people.
As of last Monday, Spain’s migrant regularisation process was underway with individuals waiting hours at more than 400 locations across the country for appointments after submitting online applications.
Thousands have been pictured lining up outside registry offices in regions such as Catalonia, Andalucia and Asturias.
In a frantic rush to finalise their paperwork, some migrants have been waiting in line for hours or staying overnight to get their documents officially stamped.
Massive crowds have overwhelmed registry offices, pushing social services to the brink of collapse and fueling unrest among those desperate for documentation.
On Tuesday, dozens of desperate migrants scaled the walls of the Gambian embassy in Madrid after being unable to secure the vulnerability certificates needed for their applications.
Many had spent the entire night queuing outside the building just to obtain the required documentation
However, they were informed early that morning that all appointments were already booked.
The situation then spiraled out of control as migrants began jumping over the embassy fence in a desperate bid to obtain their certificate.
Panic ensued and the police was forced to intervene. No arrests were made, according to local media reports.
Authorities are now surveilling the area due to possible further attempts to gain access, given the high demand for these certificates.
It comes as officials in Spain have warned of a collapse in social services as thousands of migrants attempt to gain legal status.
Municipal unions in Seville last week warned that ‘extraordinary pressure’ and overcrowding are lowering service quality and creating high tension among staff and the public in the Andalusian city.
Unions are pleading for more staff, an improvement in security, and compensation for workers forced to face the chaos.
Seville City Council has meanwhile urged people to stay calm, insisting the service is operating ‘normally,’ The Spanish Eye reports.
In Spain’s capital, Madrid, services are also under mounting pressure.
‘We’ve gone from 1,500 daily requests at social services centres to 5,500. I think a hasty decision was made, perhaps even intended to create a collapse,’ said Jose Fernandez, the municipal delegate for Social Policies.
Fernandez explained to news outlet 20minutos that the process was launched ‘without consulting the relevant authorities.’
‘I believe the best course of action would be to withdraw this decree and implement it through consensus,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Barcelona has seen migrants camping overnight outside registry offices.
The initiative by the Spanish government has faced intense backlash from Spanish right-wing parties, and has even gone global, with billionaire Elon Musk slamming the move.
Commenting under a video of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on X, Musk wrote: ‘Dirty Sánchez is guilty of high treason.’
