Gate number 10 of arrivals at T-4 of the Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas Airport welcomes the early morning hours with total normality. Dozens of people eagerly wait for their relatives and friends to land from their respective flights to spend these vacation days by their side. There are hugs, some applause, and also some planes that, unfortunately, seem to arrive with some delay.
No one seems to notice the decision made by the Government last night to temporarily reinstate controls at the internal borders of ports and airports for flights coming from Italy, in response to the restrictions imposed by Giorgia Meloni a few days ago, following the migratory crisis in Ceuta.
It is just ten minutes before 11 in the morning when Elisa Fabbri and Lucca Sciroli, both arriving from Bologna (Italy) on an Iberia flight, pass through that gate to spend a week of vacation in Madrid. One of their suitcases had taken a little longer to appear on the conveyor belt.
The majority union of the National Police criticizes the imposition of controls on travelers from Italy: “It only responds to a political vendetta”
- Editorial: MARTA BELVER Madrid
Controls between Italy and Spain due to the end of Schengen affect 86,000 travelers a day on one of the busiest routes in the EU
- Editorial: LEONARD BERBERI (CORRIERE DELLA SERA)
According to this couple, the first alert they received about this tightening of border measures was this Friday, when the airline informed them that, upon arrival in Spain, it was “very likely” they would encounter some type of control. A prediction that, once on the plane, was fulfilled. “They told us we would not be able to get off without showing our passport,” they say, surprised by the situation.
Later, once on the ground, members of the National Police asked all passengers on their flight to take out their passports and have them in hand. “They did not check them. They just wanted to see if we came from Italy. They didn’t ask us anything, they told us to keep moving forward,” they add.
“The control was just to let us know there was a control. The problem was that the plane came from Italy,” they add
Regarding their opinion about this clash between both governments and the mutual restrictions at the borders, both maintain that “it is ridiculous.” “We think our government is totally wrong to make those statements about immigrants. It is just a political party looking to advance in the elections,” they state.
However, for Leonardo and Felipe, Argentine father and son who arrived in Madrid from Italy after a small tour of Europe, the situation was somewhat different, since besides having to show their passports, the Police did ask them where they came from, what country they were from, and when they were returning. “It was quick,” they say. “It was a weak control,” they add.
