đ« This Week in Spain: The Migrant Minors Dilemma
Plus: The rain in Spain is causing tons of pain.
Madrid | Issue #94
đ Welcome to The Bubble, Spain's #1 English-language newsletter. Remember we are offering paid subscriptions, and weâd be thrilled if you bought one. (To those of you who already have, thanks for the love đ„°.)
đșIf you havenât subscribed yet, please do so by clicking on the button below.
𫶠And if you already have, please send this newsletter to your friends and family.
Give me your tired, your youngâŠ
Fight over unaccompanied minors tests Spainâs immigrant exceptionalism
U.S. President Donald Trump has decided that immigrants are really bad and a lot of countries in Europe have come to the conclusion that they would like fewer of them (as in, Denmarkâs socialist PM says JD Vance had a point on migration), but Spain has long been a welcoming outlier. Perhaps because Spainâs population would shrink without immigrants, or perhaps because so many of them are Spanish-speaking Catholics from Latin America, Spain has been downright friendly to newcomers. Today, 14% of Spainâs population is non-Spanish.
Bone of contention. But one group has been less enthusiastically welcomedâMENAs. MENA is an official term that first appeared in Spain's official BOE state gazette in 2009, and itâs an acronym for Menores Extranjeros No Acompañados, or Unaccompanied Foreign Minors. Basically, they are undocumented kids, usually African, who come to Spain over the fences at Ceuta or Melilla or via boat to the Canary Islands. Why less welcomed? As righties like Vox and Vance and an increasing number of politicians in the center like the Danish PM might note, being minors, they need expensive social services and, unlike the most-embraced recent immigrants, are not European (Ukrainian, Romanian) or Spanish-speaking Catholics from Latin America. There are now some 14,000 MENAs in Spain.
Controversial plan. The PSOE-led government on Tuesday approved a plan to distribute the MENAs who have arrived in droves in the Canaries in recent years (6,336 MENAs were among the 46,717 migrants who arrived in 2024). The new plan was designed with Catalan separatist party Junts (setting off the first đš for opposition parties) and would set obligatory quotas of MENAs for each autonomous community (setting off the second đš).
Fine print. The plan will modify Article 35 of the Immigration Law to make the reception/asylum system mandatory.
Whatâs the drama? The plan would distribute 4,400 MENAs, with the top destinations being Madrid (with an estimated 806), AndalucĂa (795) and Valencia (478). Some of those receiving the fewest? Juntsâs Catalonia (27) and Basque Country (88). And the issue there? Prime Minister Pedro SĂĄnchezâs PSOE-led government needs the votes of Catalan and Basque nationalist and separatist parties to survive, while the three biggest receivers of MENAs are governed by the opposition PP.
You canât make me. The PPâfrom boss Alberto Nuñez FeijĂło on downâpushed back against the new plan, claiming that the PSOE was unfairly targeting PP-run communities with expensive social care demands in order to maintain itself in power, and said that it would not accept MENAs without financing and the capacity to house them âwith respect and guarantees.â Madrid Presi Isabel DĂaz Ayuso went further, saying her government would take the plan to âthe courts and the EUâ.
No, YOUâRE a racist. And now the fun part of immigration debates, where everyone calls everyone else a racist. AragĂłn President Jorge AzcĂłn (PP) said he would offer âfrontal oppositionâ to the âxenophobic policies of Junts and the PSOE.â Meanwhile, two (!) PSOE ministersâMĂłnica GarcĂa (Health) and Ăscar LĂłpez (Digital Transformation)âcalled Diaz Ayuso âracistâ for rejecting MENAs, with LĂłpez adding that the Madrid presi was fine with Ukrainian immigrants but not ones from the Canaries (i.e. Africans). Itâs like they had a script!
And those calculations? In terms of the breakdown of MENAs, the piece of data used in the new decree that most shifts the burden to Madrid et al is the âstructural sizing of the system of vacanciesââbasically, the efforts made in recent years to serve MENAs. In this, large PP communities may indeed have come up short, but this data point is also pretty discretionary.
A little history. A law to make the distribution of MENAs obligatory first came up last July, but was rejected because Junts and the PP voted against it (that law would have placed many more MENAs in Catalonia and Basque Country btw). At the time, PP communities agreed to take a small number of MENAs (209 out of 327 in total).
So small. Those numbers may seem small, but the fact that the PP could accept any MENAs (with financing) drove the far-right Vox party so bananas it broke up regional government agreements in communities where it was in coalition with the PP. Now, Vox is again supporting the PP in Valencia which may (đ€) be one motive for the PSOE to make this agreement with Junts now.
Whatâs next. The government decree must be voted into law within 30 days (Juntsâ support should push it through), which will lead to a) the distribution of MENAs and b) lots of political posturing.
More news below. đđ
đ But First, A Message From Our Sponsor
Bucólico Café is a project of connection that was born as a specialty coffee shop.
We value time and understand that it represents both a cycle and an instantâchronology and nostalgia. BucĂłlico is a space that connects oneâs soul with the purity, lightness and beauty of the countrysideâwhile being in the city. Via a cup of coffee, a piece of cake or a songâŠ
Located on Calle de Barbieri 4 â a few blocks from Plaza Chueca â BucĂłlico reassures the soul with a feeling of home.
Follow Bucólico Café on Instagram.
đŹ Five things to discuss at dinner parties this week
1. đ§ïž Spainâs rainiest March since Noah and his big olâ ark!
That headline is a lie! Itâs just officially the rainiest March in Madrid since they started keeping records in 1893. But seriously folks, we have to talk about the weather. As in, how did it get so damn wetâand how wet is it?
Just the facts. During the first 18 days of March, 188.2 liters/m2 of rain has fallen at the Madrid-Retiro meteorology station, which beats the previous March record of 140.7 l/m2, set in 2018, by, like, lots. (To the Americans out there, 188.2 l/m2 converts to about 7Âœ inches of rain, which, if it were snow, is about six feet worth đ±.) Like we said, a lot.
Is this the end of the world? This is a question many of us have been asking because 188.2 l/m2 is almost five times the average March rainfall in London. And many people from London move to Madrid in part because it is not London.
So, what the hell? Spain has been hit by a series of named storms, and when a storm is big enough to get a name, well, trouble. Since this almost uninterrupted stretch of rain began on Feb. 28, weâve had Jana, Konrad, Laurence and, starting today, Martinho. Besides obviously being the names of the members of a forgotten supergroup that challenged ABBA for Swedish pop dominance and lost, these four storms have hit all of Spain without pity save forâcuriouslyâthe normally rainy northwest.
Why? We are told this is happening because an abnormally persistent anticyclone high-pressure area is squatting over Northern Europe and pushing storms south. Which means weâre âstealingâ rain from Ireland and other wet places. We have no idea what that means or if itâs true, but we like that it makes us sound smart(ish).
Winners and losers. Laurenceâs disastrous visit to AndalucĂa (see video above) forced thousands to evacuate their homes and left three dead so far, and thatâs only one storm. On the positive side, these horrible months of rain blessings from nature have more or less ended (or at least paused) Spainâs years of drought.
So much wet. Data from one of our favorite sites (because weâre dorks), Embalses.net, shows that Spainâs reservoirs are at a collective 65.79% full, compared to 56.82% a year ago. The difference is even more notable in Catalonia, where the inland reservoir system, which was only 14.62% full a year ago, has jumped to 45.20%. Hallelujah!
At least weâre not Oliva. According to Spainâs AEMET weather agency, the rainiest day ever recorded in Spain occurred in November 1987, when 817 l/m2 fell in Oliva (Valencia) in one 24-hour period. We just canât go there.
2. đŠđ« Afghan embassy has a sex abuse scandal
Before you ask. Spain does not have diplomatic relations with Afghanistan. There havenât been any since August 2021 when the Taliban took over Kabul and deposed President Ashraf Ghani (which makes this case even more complicated).
So why an embassy? The Afghan embassy is still open because Spainâs Foreign Ministry believes closing it could harm the local Afghan community (some 4,000) if they need to renew passports or get birth certificates. However, Afghan refugees in Spain disagree and say that 99% are asylum seekers, which means that itâs up to Spainâs government to issue the docs they need. But anywayâŠ
Legal limbo. In the middle of all this is Mohamad Rahim Peerzada, who was appointed counselor to the Afghan embassy in Madrid six months before the collapse of Afghanistanâs pro-Western government. When the ambassador left, Peerzada became the de facto boss of the diplomatic mission.
So what happened? German newspaper Die Welt published a story last week in which an Afghan woman accused Peerzada of drug-induced sexual assault. El PaĂs also ran a story about a second victim accusing him of sexual abuse. Which is not good.
But thereâs more! On top of that, Peerzada is being accused of diverting part of the embassyâs revenue into private accounts. However, his diplomatic immunity allowed him to avoid the authoritiesâuntil now (the legal limbo helped).
Accusation #1. Anis (a pseudonym), an Afghan refugee who fled the Taliban and now lives near Cologne, told Die Welt that in March 2022, shortly after arriving in Spain, she met Peerzada at the Madrid embassy and he invited her to a bar to discuss a job opportunity. After drinking a Coke, she began feeling disoriented. When she regained consciousness, she claims she was in a hotel room with Peerzada on top of her.
Complaint #1. Anis reached out to the Prosecutor Generalâs office last August to describe the incident. Less than a month later, the complaint was dismissed. (As Peerzada was part of the diplomatic corps, Spanish courts did not have jurisdiction over him.)
Accusation #2. Simin, another Afghan refugee in Spain, told El PaĂs that she met Peerzada at a Nowruz celebration, and he later invited her to lunch. He then persuaded her to visit his luxurious apartment, where he suddenly pushed her onto a bed. She claims she managed to escape and never reported the incident.
Repercussions. Back in January, Afghan refugee representatives met with Foreign Ministry officials to accuse Peerzada of corruption and human rights violations. The ministry said it was aware of them and mentioned an ongoing German police investigation.
Somethingâs changed. This week, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry told El PaĂs that â[Peerzada] does not represent any official delegation, is not accredited in Spain, and does not enjoy diplomatic immunity in our country,â which means (in theory) he could now be investigated. (However, as PĂșblico says, thereâs no evidence so far that his immunity has been taken away).
Not me. Peerzada told Die Welt that he denies âallâ the accusations and that they should have been presented âto the competent authorities for examination in accordance with the law.â
Politically motivated? A Madrid-based Afghan activist who knows Peerzada told El Mundo that Anisâ accusation is âbaseless and politically motivatedâ and that she is being used as a tool by others seeking to remove Peerzada from his position. (She says the diplomatic mission has many opponents.)
Whatâs next? Stay tuned đĄ.
3.đș Ni Que FuĂ©ramos Shhh says goodbye
Thereâs a very real chance you donât watch this show. In fact, itâs highly likely you donât even know what it is and thatâs OK. But if you really want to feel like a local, you should at least be aware of its existence (even if its final episode airs in eight days).
Ni Que FuĂ©ramos Shhhđ€« (NQF) is a four-hour daily show that in less than two years became one of Spainâs most irreverent gossip shows, offering viewers a healthy dose of celebrity drama, reality TV updates and unfiltered political and pop culture commentary. Itâs crass, loud and the very definition of pandemonium.
Gossip hosts. The show is hosted by a cast of journos and TV vets whose careers have revolved around gossip. NQF is the television heir of SĂĄlvame, which aired daily on Telecinco between 2009 and 2023 and was known for repeated yelling, crying and fist-fighting on live TV. The cultured class considered it the definition of telebasura (trash TV)âa.k.a. a show for bored grandmothers.
Sad face đ„ș. Two years ago the show was canceled (Because of its progressive slant? Dismal ratings? Inquiring minds wanna know.) and many around the country celebrated. People would go back to reading Nietzsche, right?
Curious vibe shift. Then something happened. Somehow, the SĂĄlvame cast, now older (maybe wiser?), had become cool and relatable to Gen Zers who would not stop sharing memes and WhatsApp stickers of their most memorable quotes (ÂĄCuidao!). Sure, SĂĄlvame sucked, but the cast? The cast was lit. Pop culture icons, every one of them.
Donât call it a comeback. Netflix gave them a special, the memes kept coming and the teamâs top commentator, BelĂ©n Esteban, became âthe peopleâs princessâ. Others like MarĂa Patiño or Lydia Lozano hosted massive massive LGBT parties or Drag Queen brunches. Even the mainstream media, who saw them as punchlines, had to admit their connection with The Youth.
This is a comeback. Their sudden popularity was the reason most of the team returned with a new show, NQF, that broadcasted live on YouTube and the Ten network daily and targeted the young (sorry, grandmas).
But no more! Yet we now know that NQF is airing its final episode next week, not because itâs performing badly but because itâs so popular that the entire cast is moving to state-run TVE with a new daily show on La 1 set to premiere on Tuesday, April 22.
Considering this will be done with taxpayer money đ€, we canât wait for people to be mad at it.
4. đŠ What is 7291 and why does Madrid Presi Ayuso seem to be suing everybody about it?
Remember COVID and all the horror of its early days? The constant drone of ambulances as they shrieked to the hospital down the block? The slow return of the freedom to leave home, and the faster return of the political melees over who was at fault? Well, all that reared its head this week in Spainâagain.
7291. If you donât watch a lot of late-night public television in Spain (okay, 11;10 p.m. counts as prime time here, but really?), you probably missed the documentary 7291. But a lot of other people didnât: 1.3m spectators, or a 15% share, caught its premiere last Thursday night.
Residence-bound. The documentary (trailer above) opens with a text block saying that 9,470 people in Madrid old-age homes died during COVID, of which 7,291 werenât taken to the hospital for treatment because of regional health protocols.
Not just numbers. The old-age home deaths have long been a cudgel that Spainâs left-wing parties have used to beat Madridâs regional president, Isabel DĂaz Ayuso (PP), as what they claim is a sign of her lack of caring and competence.
The blame. Now, weâre not going to try to sort out the blame in three sentences (though if we could weâd be geniuses!). Madrid was especially hard hit by COVID and was the European region with the highest excess mortality in 2020. But was that related to the old-age home protocol? Ayusoâs government notes that the 7,291 number came from a regional social policy minister who resigned and the number wasâthey sayâan invention. The real one? 4,100. Water, muddied.
The fallout. Now, however, 7,291 has turned the fight over the number and blame for it into a massive political battle. Why?
State media. The documentary appeared on RTVE public television, which in Spain is generally friendly to the government (now, the PSOE-led government of Pedro SĂĄnchez). Not that this makes the documentary a lie, but it suggests why the PP is claiming RTVE is "joining the government's strategy of rewriting the history of the pandemic" to harm Ayuso.
Hot remarks. In recent days, Ione Belarra, the general secretary of the far-left Podemos, threw gas on the fire by calling the management of Madridâs old-age homes âhomicidalâ, while Podemos spokesperson Pablo FernĂĄndez said Ayuso âought to be in prisonâ, and the PSOEâs spokesperson in Madrid city hall, Reyes Maroto, said â7,291 people were murderedâ (though she later apologized).
Legal action. The regional government announced Wednesday that it had filed legal complaints against the three for âdisrespectingâ the old-age home workers and the regional government: "They have crossed all the red lines of decency," Ayusoâs spokesman said, âThey can't be accused of committing murder. It's a real outrage."
Just another happy day. Welcome to regional Madrid politics.
5. â ïž Dead bodies keep washing up in Mallorca
This is pretty horrific. We associate Mallorca with the holidays and the beach but in this case, the locals are getting a grim and unavoidable reminder of the migrant crisis.
Six. This month at least six bodies have been pushed ashore in different parts of the island, many of them in an advanced state of decomposition (or simply skeletons with life jackets attached to them).
That boat? Local authorities believe they belong to a migrant boat carrying 27 Somali nationals that disappeared after departing from Algeria early last month.
But the police are not ruling out that they may be from other recent migrant shipwrecks, reports the Diario de Mallorca (which has published a somber op-ed titled âThe Balearic coasts are a cemeteryâ).
Popular beaches. The bodies have been turning up in popular beach destinations such as Cala Mesquida, Cala DeiĂ or Playa de Palma.
Canary focus. The Canary Islands have most of the attention over the record number of migrants that arrived via boat last year, but the Balearic Islands are also seeing an increasing number of migrants coming from North Africa.
Deadly year. 2024 was the deadliest year on migration routes to Spain with 10.457 deaths. During the first two months of this year, 40 boats carrying at least 823 migrants have reached the Balearic islands (a 162% year-over-year increase).
đ Before you go, please remember to share this newsletter with your friends on social media. The more we grow, the more information weâll be able to offer each week.