Spanish police sources say roughly 70 percent of recent asylum applications filed by Moroccan migrants in the North African enclave of Ceuta now claim persecution based on their homosexuality, a sharp change from the economic motives cited in the weeks after a large irregular entry in late July.
The report from Spanish newspaper ABC, citing Spanish National Police sources, also indicated that about 95 percent of the applications under review involve Moroccan nationals, and of those already decided, the rejection rate is estimated at about 99 percent.
Police have knowledge of at least 19 favorable decisions for people who entered during the July episode; five of those rested on sexual-orientation grounds.
The Unified Police Union (SUP) representative in Ceuta, Raúl Piera, told local media the share citing homosexuality has risen as high as 90 percent in the most recent filings. Applicants initially mentioned unemployment, family reunification or other reasons, he said.
After word circulated that economic grounds were unlikely to succeed, the accounts shifted.
“At first, they were not informed and did not know what they should say. But word spread,” Piera said.
Police sources have also raised the possibility that some applicants received advice, including from NGOs, on which grounds might improve their chances. While no fraud has been proven, the overwhelming amount of applications based on claims of homosexuality raises various red flags about the asylum application process.
Same-sex sexual relations are criminalized in Morocco under Article 489 of the penal code, which provides for prison terms of six months to three years. Spanish and European rules treat a well-founded fear of persecution on grounds of sexual orientation as a potential basis for protection.
Declaring oneself homosexual is not sufficient, however. Authorities examine the consistency of each account, personal circumstances and the risk upon return through interviews and documentation.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, speaking in Ceuta, said a mere allegation is not enough: there must be “a principle of objective and clear proof” and “a minimum of serious evidence.”
Nearly 1,200 international-protection applications have been formalized since the late-July arrivals, of which roughly 700 have been resolved, according to government figures. An estimated 10,000 of those who crossed on July 30-31 remain in Ceuta, some in informal housing or remote areas. Many others have returned to Morocco voluntarily or through other processes.
The asylum claims continue to be assessed individually by the Office of Asylum and Refuge. Rejection does not automatically result in immediate removal; applicants must be notified, and some may abscond or challenge decisions in court, though the share pursuing judicial appeals has been described as very low.
