The collapse of the system to request international protection has saturated the social services of the Madrid City Council. Spain received 163,000 applications in 2023, the highest number on record and a third more than in 2022.
The City Council complains of the overflow of emergency services due to the traffic jam of asylum seekers waiting in limbo for someone to answer the phone to give them an appointment. Hundreds of migrants seeking asylum file an appeal with the Ombudsman due to a lack of appointments to begin the process.