A range of far-left NGOs are pushing Spain’s Socialist government to deliver money to illegal migrants in flood-stricken Valencia, even as local residents struggle to rebuild amid a lack of financial resources.
In fact, the situation remains so dire there that 100,000 people took to the streets in Valencia on Saturday to protest against the government’s slow response.
The NGOs in question — Andalucía Acoge, Asociación Rumiñahui, the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR), the Cepaim Foundation, and Red Acoge — sent a document to the Secretary of State for Migration and the Secretary of State for Labor, where they said there were “specific difficulties” being faced by the migrant community to flood that claimed the lives of over 220 Spaniards.
The NGOs say that many migrants are not receiving financial aid due to their lack of documents.
“The lack of registration, the absence of rental contracts or mortgages, and the impossibility of proving ownership of damaged vehicles are barriers that the administrations must overcome,” the NGOs wrote. They also note that many of the migrants do not have bank accounts.
What the NGOs do not mention is that the many Spaniards who had their homes and livelihoods destroyed in the flooding are also not receiving funds.
“One month later, and our towns and cities are still destroyed. The regional government is morally and ethically incapable of handling the reconstruction,” Anna Oliver, a spokesperson for the march, told reporters at a demonstration on Saturday. An estimated 100,000 marched in Valencia against the government.
In many areas, sewers are still not working, classrooms are destroyed, and businesses remain shuttered. While the acute emergency phase is over, residents in Valencia and surrounding areas say aid and reconstruction efforts are not happening fast enough or simply not happening
However, the NGOs themselves promoting more money for illegal migrants are not lacking in funds. Many of these organizations have earned million-euro contracts in recent years in exchange for taking care of illegal migrant arrivals on Spanish shores.
According to Spanish news outlet La Gaceta, “The NGO Cepaim, which is responsible for protecting illegal immigrants who are living in a hotel in Guardamar (Alicante) and have generated numerous controversies, received more than €50 million euros in public contracts with the Government in 2022.”
The paper further writes: “It is not the only one that has benefited from large amounts allocated by the central Government and some regional ones. The NGO Andalucía Acoge has received a total of €22.4 million from the administrations since 2020, part of which comes from Ceuta (90,000 euros) and Andalusia (4.7 million).”
In some cases, migrants were accused of looting homes and businesses in Valencia following the flooding.
