The Spanish government has revoked the nationality of 78 babies from Moroccan mothers who gave birth in a Spanish North African exclave and lied about the father of their child being Spanish.
The women were clients of an organised criminal group which paid men of Spanish nationality to sign documentation declaring themselves the father of the babies after they were born in the North African city of Melilla, in order that the children to receive Spanish nationality.
The women are said to have entered Melilla before giving birth and were put in contact with men of Spanish nationality by the criminal network, with the men being paid between €1,500 and €3,000 (£1,261-£2523/$1,607-$3215) for stating they were the biological father of the children at the Civil Registry of Melilla, newspaper El Pais reports.
By their children attaining Spanish nationality, the women were then allowed to apply for residency themselves in Spain and police say that, in turn, allowed for family reunification and the children’s real fathers could be brought to Spain later as well.
While police say they do not know how long the criminal network has been operating, they say that at least 117 people, including fake fathers, mothers and intermediaries, were involved in the network. So far 79 people have been arrested and 38 others remain wanted and at large. Additionally, 78 babies have had their citizenships revoked after the fraud was detected.
Melilla, which borders Morocco and is one of the two Spanish exclaves on the African mainland, has seen multiple attempts by illegal immigrants in recent years to climb the high fences of the city and make an attempt to claim asylum in Spain.
Earlier this year in March, a group of around 1,200 illegals attempted to climb the 20-foot high barrier, with 380 migrants successfully scaling the border barrier and gaining access to Spanish territory.
Not all illegal immigrants attempt to scale the walls, however. In February, five suspected members of a people trafficking network were charged for helping migrants sneak into the city by boat, with migrants being charged €4,000 (£3,370/$4,566) or more for the trip.