Spanish police in Tarragona, Catalonia, have dismantled a vast network of foreign families who allegedly passed off their children as lone child migrants so they would be taken into state care in an operation that led to 30 arrests.

The 22 minors involved in the investigation were returned to their families, according to officials. The cases allegedly led to a social security fraud worth over 1.5 million euros, national police said in a statement issued on October 23.

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Two types of families allegedly involved in fraud

The investigation, which kicked off in 2023, determined that foreign families allegedly traveled to Spain on tourist visas and then abandoned their children near police departments, hosting centers for minors or other public organizations, according to the police.

The minors, following their parents' instructions, said they were alone and were thus taken into state care, enrolled in education programs and in the national healthcare service.

They were transferred to hosting facilities so they could be later joined by other family members once they obtained residence permits.

During the course of the probe, investigators said they identified two types of families, although they did not mention their nationalities.

One type of family had a medium to high purchasing power and multiple Schengen visas and returned to their country of origin after leaving their children in Spain, but periodically returned to visit them.

Others were from a low-income background and remained in Spain illegally, staying in touch with their children only by phone, police said.

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124 documented cases as investigation continues

The operation was carried out by police in cooperation with the General Directorate for Prevention and Protection of Infancy and Adolescence in Tarragona. It documented 124 cases concerning very young foreigners, including a few individuals over 18, who were hosted in centers in Catalonia and were probably connected to the fraud, according to investigative sources.

In about 30 of the cases examined, the parents were arrested on charges of child abandonment, aiding and abetting illegal immigration and fraud against the public administration. The investigation is ongoing.

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