The 69 Bolivian passengers who were intercepted last week aboard a cruise ship in the port of Barcelona with falsified visas are still awaiting deportation. The Spanish authorities continue working on the expulsion files of those affected without knowing more than a week later exactly when they will be able to return to their country. According to sources close to the case, the files are very advanced and in the coming days, even today, the first return trips could begin. The Government Delegation in Catalonia confirms that work continues but without specifying the exact day on which passengers will be able to return to their country.
On Friday, the administrative procedures began and a return is coordinated by the Bolivian and Spanish authorities. During this week a file has been opened for each passenger and from this point the deportations will begin.
Meanwhile, those affected remain on board the ship that the MSC company made available to them when the crisis broke out. For the 14 minors, the shipping company has organized an entertainment group and has provided material to make their stay more enjoyable.
“Everyone is well taken care of, they are not in a state of vulnerability, but the only problem they have is the psychological pressure that adults suffer and they fear the consequences that they will find in Bolivia,” says Jenny Rivera, a Bolivian resident in Barcelona, which since the crisis began has regularly approached the port to provide help to its compatriots and has maintained contact with the cruise passengers.
Some of those affected claim that they paid up to $10,000 for a visa that turned out to be false. Now the authorities must determine if the passengers knew that the document was false and intended to disembark illegally in Spain or if they have been victims of a scam.
On Tuesday, April 2, the Police stopped the MSC Armonía, a transoceanic cruise ship that left Brazil with 1,500 passengers on board after detecting 69 travelers without a valid visa to enter the Schengen area. The cruise ship was supposed to leave that same Tuesday afternoon for Corsica but had to stop until Thursday when those affected were relocated to another ship made available by the company and the cruise ship was able to continue on the planned route.
The Government, in coordination with the port of Barcelona, set up an area so that passengers could get off the ship and begin the documentation for their repatriation.
