Judge orders deportation of 85 Senegalese, including girl born in Spain

Judge in El Hierro authorises deportation of 85 Senegalese nationals, including a teenage girl born in Spain in 2009

Judge Antonio Mazuecos, presiding over the Court of First Instance of Valverde, has authorised detention in a CIE (immigration detention centre) for up to 60 days to process the return of 85 people of Senegalese origin. The case has drawn attention because among those affected is a minor born in Spain in 2009, which immediately raises a legal conflict over her nationality and the limits of deportation.

The legal crux of the girl born in Spain

Spain's immigration law (Ley de Extranjería) establishes that children born in Spanish territory to foreign parents acquire nationality only if they reside legally or apply for it after turning 18. In this case, the teenager is believed to have arrived with her parents in an irregular situation, so she has no automatic right to nationality. However, her status as a minor and her roots in Spain could block the deportation. Judge Mazuecos has included the girl in the detention order, but her situation must be reviewed by the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office.

The gap between deportation orders and actual repatriations

Official figures cited in the debate show minimal enforcement of deportations. In 2024, 51,025 exit or deportation orders were issued, but only 3,031 were carried out, a rate of 6%. In 2025, up to October, 41,315 orders and 3,398 deportations, barely 8%. The gap is enormous: more than 90% of orders go nowhere. A court authorisation guarantees nothing if Senegal does not issue the travel documents needed for the return flight.

The political context and the new EU law

The debate comes in the wake of the recent approval by the European Parliament of a law that makes it easier to set up deportation centres in third countries, in exchange for financial compensation. The law has not yet entered into force, but it has fuelled expectations of a tougher approach. Meanwhile, arrivals by sea continue: in recent days alone, various sources report hundreds of people entering, which puts the deportation of 85 into perspective. As one analysis points out, "85 leave, 5,000 arrive" does not change the migration balance.

The paradox is clear: a firm court ruling that runs into bureaucratic reality, a minor in a legal no-man's-land, and a deportation system that enforces only 1 in every 12 orders. Until the new EU law is applied, the maze remains open.