Spanish police are investigating why dozens of Brazilian women have recently travelled from Belgium to northern Spain to give birth, allegedly taking advantage of a legal loophole, reports De Morgen.
In the Castilla y León region of Spain, several Brazilian women travelling from Belgium reportedly showed up at the Gynaecology department of the University Hospital in Burgos days after their due dates. Some, reportedly, were taken immediately to the ward to receive prenatal care and deliver their babies.
Local media, Diario de Burgos, reported that the trend began in May and, according to official sources consulted by them, the number of births following this pattern since then is around 30.
What drew the hospital's attention was a recurring pattern. The first Brazilian woman who came in was about to give birth. When asked for the usual documentation to open a medical record, she reportedly provided an address in Las Merindades, a comarca in northern Spain.
She reportedly explained that she had come from Belgium, where she received prenatal care. She had arrived in Burgos just in time to give birth.
The same events kept happening to the point that last week, there were reportedly three women with the same profile in labour at the University Hospital at the same time. Most of the women reportedly provided two similar addresses in northern Spain. Moreover, these women were reportedly accompanied by the same man.
Hospital staff became suspicious and eventually alerted local police, who have since launched an investigation into whether any criminal offences were committed.
Why?
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office told De Morgen it was not previously aware of the specific cases in Burgos but said the wider phenomenon is already under investigation.
According to the prosecutor's human trafficking unit, investigators have identified similar cases elsewhere in Spain involving Brazilian women, and Belgian authorities are working with their Spanish and Brazilian counterparts to better understand the practice. The theory, for now, is that the journeys are linked to differences in Belgian and Spanish citizenship laws.
Children born in Belgium to Brazilian parents do not automatically acquire Belgian nationality. In Spain, however, children born to Brazilian parents may be eligible for Spanish citizenship because Brazilian law does not automatically grant nationality to children born abroad, thereby allowing Spain to prevent stateless children.
According to De Morgen, the dubious scheme involves Brazilian women who are legally residing in Belgium on temporary permits. They travel to Spain shortly before giving birth. Upon arrival at the University Hospital in Burgos, it is impossible to turn them down, as Spanish law requires medical staff to take care of every pregnant woman who is about to deliver a baby.
Once the child obtains Spanish nationality, the family returns to Belgium, where the parents can reportedly apply for residence through family reunification. A source quoted by the newspaper described the practice as a form of illegal migration. Belgian investigators are reportedly aware of more than 100 similar cases across Spain.
Joint authorities are also investigating whether a more elaborate criminal network might be operating. The repeated use of the same addresses and the presence of the same escort have raised concerns that these women might not have travelled independently.
Investigators are considering whether the case could involve illegal adoption arrangements or the commercial exploitation of surrogate mothers, although, to this day, no evidence has yet been presented to support those suspicions.
Spanish police have not announced a formal investigation into human trafficking or illegal surrogacy. Their inquiry is currently focused on establishing the identities of the women and the role of the man who accompanied many of them.
