Title: Stranded and Vulnerable: Migrants in Valencia Fight to Survive After Devastating Floods
Fabián Leal, a 49-year-old Colombian migrant, was forced to go to work the Monday following the devastating floods that struck Alfafar, a municipality in Valencia, on October 29. The floods left 22,000 residents affected, with nearly 15 fatalities and extensive mud and debris covering every street. Despite the tragedy, Leal’s boss insisted he come in, or risk losing his job as a technical electrician. Leal, who had lived in Alfafar for two years, felt trapped; as an undocumented migrant, he believed he had no choice but to comply.
Previously, Leal had worked up to 12 hours a day with only 30 minutes of rest, earning less than the minimum wage, without a regular work contract, and paid ‘under the table.’ His current job in an electrical maintenance workshop in Aldaia was secured through a temporary asylum seeker permit that had since expired. His wife, Andrea Galvis, also faced similar legal issues and had lost her job in an estate agency that closed due to flood damage.
After two weeks, Leal’s health deteriorated. He went to the hospital, where a doctor told him he might die if he continued working. Exhausted from walking eight hours a day to get to his job, he resigned. His boss threatened to report him to the police for being undocumented, but the threats never materialized. Leal found himself in a new battle: survival in Spain without papers, in the wake of the catastrophic floods.
The Valencia Chamber of Commerce estimates that two-thirds of the 8,106 affected businesses suffered direct damage, leading to a scarcity of jobs in the affected areas. Moving is not an option for many, as housing alternatives are practically non-existent for those without papers. Leal’s situation is far from unique. According to Oxfam, around 40,000 foreigners live irregularly in the Valencian Community alone—more than the populations of entire municipalities like Paiporta, Catarroja, or Aldaia.
Since resigning from his job, Leal has been doing small electrical repair jobs to pay the 700 euros rent for his family’s apartment in Paiporta. He has received job offers, but cannot accept them due to his administrative status. Last November, he had to borrow money from family in Colombia to cover the rent. He laments, "We come to send money home, not to borrow it."
Even caring for the elderly, a usually stable source of work, is not an option anymore. Massanassa resident Nilka Baena, for instance, had to flee with the 92-year-old woman she was caring for when floodwaters reached waist-high in their first-floor apartment. After the disaster, the elderly woman was moved to a care home, leaving Baena jobless and homeless. Her predicament is compounded by Spain’s complex housing situation, which she found impossible to navigate without papers and with a minor daughter.
Baena eventually found refuge in Jalance, a town two hours from Valencia. She has been surviving on donations and the help of non-profit organizations. However, she faced racism when trying to acquire winter clothes for her family. Silvana Cabrera, spokesperson for the Regularización Ya movement, confirms such challenges and advocates for improved support and rights for irregular migrants.
The Spanish government’s plans to extend residence and work permits for affected immigrants will only benefit those in regular status, leaving undocumented migrants like Leal without support. Leal and Baena both hope for a special temporary residence permit and a facilitate work search in the upcoming new immigration regulations. They have high hopes for 2025, dreaming of a better life in Spain, not a worsening of their current predicament.
