The Nicaraguan citizen Saúl Gaitán, who arrived in Spain for more than a month with the hope of obtaining greater income opportunities, but found a different scenario that forced him to live in the cold streets of Madrid; This Friday, he fulfilled his wish to return to his country with the help of people who were moved by his difficult situation and did not hesitate to support him financially.
«I feel happy with this news that I am going to return to my country. I am speechless to thank everyone who has helped me and continues to help me,” the migrant said to the Honduran content creator Quique Vásquez, who has closely followed his situation. Gaitán was a small entrepreneur who little by little managed to set up a motorcycle repair shop, where he did not do so badly and with what he earned he could subsist and support his four-year-old daughter.
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The difficult part began in December 2022. She decided to travel to Spain at the insistence of a Nicaraguan friend who lives in Madrid, who even agreed to pay for her one-way ticket so that she could work and get ahead in the European country. But, during the first days, Gaitán was unable to find a job, a situation that made her friend uncomfortable and asked him to leave her apartment.
«It has touched me very hard because I have had to ask, and I have had to receive contempt from many Spaniards, even from Latinos. I have gone out looking for a job opportunity, but the doors are closed to me because I am an immigrant and they always ask me if I have papers and when I say no, they have even offended me and I just lower my head and turn around. When I came to this country, I had many plans and now I am on the street,” said the citizen a few days ago.
«I feel happy to return because I felt imprisoned in the freedom of this great country, there, without knowing what to do, where to go and I already want to close my eyes and dawn in my country. Many times I wanted to be a bird to fly to my land, “said the Nicaraguan upon learning that his flight was ready to return with his wife and daughter.
After learning about his story, a large number of people joined in offering help and in less than three days they raised more than 3,000 euros. The citizen will board his flight to the Central American country in the afternoon of this Friday, February 3.
Saúl had left his four-year-old daughter in Nicaragua with the hope of guaranteeing her a better life, but he stated that it was hard to talk to her during the days when she was living on the streets and eating garbage. “I have to lie to her so that she is calm,” said the migrant.
During his fight to survive in the European country, Gaitán knocked on many doors applying for work, but his migrant status did not help him get a job. “I have four mechanic’s titles, but here they are not worth it because here is another system,” said the Nicaraguan.
Since the beginning of the sociopolitical crisis in Nicaragua in 2018, the Immigration offices in Spain have received a total of 17,089 asylum requests from Nicaraguans. The European country is one of the main destinations for Nicaraguan migrants seeking better economic opportunities.
