Badalona: In a major operation early Wednesday, Spanish police and regional riot units carried out a court-ordered eviction of around 400 migrants living in an abandoned former high school in the northeastern city of Badalona, a working-class municipality bordering Barcelona. Authorities moved into the occupied building at dawn, clearing the premises that had been a makeshift home for hundreds of people mostly migrants from sub-Saharan Africa for more than two years.
Local officials hailed the operation as a necessary step to uphold public safety, while migrant advocates and legal representatives condemned it as a harsh and premature removal leaving vulnerable families without shelter. The eviction, described by some unions as the largest of its kind in Spain, illuminated deep social strains over migration, housing shortages and political polarization just weeks before Christmas.
Cataloniaâs regional police, the Mossos dâEsquadra, entered the former B9 institute under a judicial mandate that authorized Badalona authorities to recover the property. Most occupants had anticipated the action and left voluntarily in the early hours, but several dozen remained and carried their belongings out into the street amid tense encounters with riot officers.
Badalona Mayor Xavier GarcĂa Albiol, a prominent figure from the conservative Peopleâs Party (PP) who campaigned on a platform of combating irregular immigration, announced the eviction on social media earlier in the week. âAs I had promised, the eviction of the 400 illegal squatters in the B9 school in Badalona begins,â he wrote, framing the operation as a necessary response to illegality and threats to public order.
While the eviction proceeded largely without physical violence, the human toll was palpable. Many of the migrants who had lived inside the deteriorating school structure some for years now face winter nights on the streets or uncertain stays in short-term shelters. Under the courtâs terms, the municipal government was required only to offer access to social services, not to provide permanent housing, leaving dozens without a clear place to go.
Lawyer Marta Llonch, who represented several of the displaced residents, warned that the lack of alternative accommodation would force many into homelessness. âMany people are going to sleep on the street tonight,â she said, underscoring the harsh reality faced by families and individuals evicted from the B9 site.
The former high school had been abandoned in 2023 and gradually became a refuge for migrants who could not afford official housing during Spainâs ongoing cost-of-living crunch. Residents survived through informal work such as collecting scrap metal and, in some cases, had legitimate work or residency permits but lacked affordable housing options.
Previous attempts to block the eviction included appeals to the European Court of Human Rights on grounds that removing people in the winter without rehousing violated basic rights. Lawyers argued that authorities failed to offer meaningful alternatives, intensifying the humanitarian stakes of the eviction.
The Badalona eviction has ignited broader debate in Spain over migration and housing policy. Critics argue that simply clearing homeless migrants from occupied buildings does not address the root causes of housing scarcity and may compound social inequality. Supporters of the eviction emphasize legal property rights and public safety, pointing to past incidents including a deadly fire in an occupied factory in 2020 to justify action on hazardous squats.
As Spain grapples with steady migration flows, rising rents and limited affordable housing supply in urban areas, the events in Badalona highlight the intersection of humanitarian needs and political agendas. With winter advancing and the festive season approaching, thousands displaced from the B9 building now confront an uncertain future that raises urgent questions about social inclusion and state responsibility in one of Europeâs most dynamic regions.