GENEVA - UN experts* today condemned the eviction of more than 400 migrants from the B9 informal settlement in Badalona on 17 December.
"The eviction is pushing hundreds of vulnerable individuals into homelessness in the middle of winter, without any adequate alternative housing offered by municipal authorities," the experts said.
They regretted that Spain had proceeded with the large-scale eviction despite appeals to postpone the move until adequate housing alternatives were identified for affected residents.
Badalona 9 (B9), a former secondary school, hosted between 400 and 500 migrants, making it the largest informal settlement of its kind in Catalonia. Only around 30 residents considered very vulnerable were expected to receive short-term emergency housing.
The majority of evicted residents hail from West and sub-Sahara African countries. Among them are women, older persons, and individuals with medical needs. Most have previously been victims of forced evictions from industrial warehouses in the area. Despite the recurring nature of these situations, the Badalona City Council maintains a policy of offering no housing alternatives to those affected.
"With no alternative housing provided, the vast majority of those evicted has no choice but to seek again refuge in other informal settlements or to camp in the open," the experts said.
"Human rights law is clear: Evicting a person in the middle of the winter into homelessness is a serious violation of the right to adequate housing and other human rights. Repeatedly evicting persons without providing any housing alternatives may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, strictly prohibited by international human rights law," they warned.
"We are seeing a cycle of eviction, homelessness, unsafe and substandard living conditions. This is a structural failure, and it requires an urgent, rights-based response, certainly not more evictions."
On 4 December 2025, the Administrative-Contentious Court No. 11 of Barcelona ruled in favour of the eviction, giving the municipality 15 days to execute the order. The ruling failed to include a requirement to ensure that all affected people would be able to access a housing alternative, which meets the core elements of adequacy as required under international law.
The eviction has been accompanied by stigmatising discourse by public authorities, depicting all those living in B9 as a source of insecurity in the area, and calling them criminals or violent without supporting evidence. The experts urged authorities to cease discriminatory rhetoric against migrants.
"Such rhetoric is unacceptable, discriminatory, and deeply harmful," they said.
"Migrants face compounded challenges when trying to access adequate housing. Public authorities must strive to counter discrimination, not fuel it."
"We will continue to monitor the situation. We urge the authorities to ensure all evicted persons have access to housing that is safe and adequate to protect their rights and dignity," the experts said.
