He was supposed to join his future wife in Argentina, but a rumor sent him swimming toward Sebta

Bilal and Claudia had met on social media. She lives in Argentina, while he lives in Morocco. Their plans were already advanced enough for Bilal to renew his passport and resolve issues related to his bank account. Claudia, for her part, was preparing an invitation letter for his arrival.

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His goal was therefore not Europe. He wanted to join Claudia in Argentina, get married and start a family there.

Everything changed on July 30. According to Claudia’s testimony, gathered by El Faro de Ceuta, relatives and information circulating on social media convinced Bilal that obtaining papers in Spain would subsequently make his journey to Argentina easier.

He then put his initial plan on hold and attempted something he had never done before: swimming to Sebta.

Claudia says she knew nothing about this decision. Bilal reportedly told her the truth only after arriving in the city.

In Sebta, all he thinks about now is returning to Morocco

The supposed shortcut to Argentina turned into a dead end. Bilal is now seeking neither to continue his journey through Spain nor to apply for asylum. His partner describes him as “very sad” and deeply regretful that he allowed himself to be convinced.

He wants to return to Morocco “safely” in order to resume the legal procedures already underway to join Claudia. But he would reportedly be afraid to return without knowing under what conditions his return could take place.

Thousands of kilometers away from him, Claudia is trying to help him from Argentina. Bilal is reportedly in a kind of wooded area in Sebta and is having difficulty communicating with her, particularly because he does not have a charger for his phone. Some days, she says, he finds nothing to eat and drinks only water.

Claudia says that other Moroccans who arrived during the mass crossings at the end of July would also like to turn back, but are seeking guarantees that they can return to Morocco without risk.

She has consulted several lawyers from Argentina. Some of them reportedly suggested that she file an asylum application in Spain for Bilal. She rejects this solution and accuses intermediaries of exploiting migrants’ distress by charging them very high fees for procedures whose chances of success would be slim.

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Bilal thought Sebta would save him time in joining his future wife. Today, he finds himself stranded a few kilometers from Morocco, while Claudia searches from the other side of the Atlantic for a way to bring him back to the starting point of their plan.