That European welfare schemes are being exploited is a known matter. That it occurs across all social strata in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), is less well known.

A Moroccan professor of biology has been arrested in Spain after he deliberately left his two minor children at an airport to ensure that they would come under the Spanish welfare system. According to Spanish authorities and local media, this occurred in February 2026.

Abuse of European welfare systems

The man, who is resident in Belgium, flew with the children to Spain and left them at the airport without passports or other identity documents. His intention is said to have been to exploit the Spanish welfare system so that the children could obtain residence permits and care through the state, while he himself returned to Belgium.

The children were found by security personnel and placed in state child welfare. When the father subsequently attempted to re-enter Spain, he was arrested, charged with child abuse and neglect.

The case is linked to abuse of European welfare systems and has attracted attention both in Spain and Belgium. It is being presented as an example of how asylum and child welfare arrangements are exploited by parents who themselves do not have lawful residence.

Moroccan authorities are also involved since the father is a Moroccan citizen and a professor at a university in his home country. The case is being investigated as a possible criminal matter concerning intentional neglect of children.

This is not the first time it has been reported that parents deliberately leave their children in European countries in order to trigger rights to state care and subsequent family reunification; what is particular about this case is that the father is, by the standards of his home country, a highly remunerated university professor who already resides in another European country.