A United States citizen on vacation in Mallorca has requested political asylum in Spain due to fear of the policies implemented in that country by Donald Trump. The man, 34 years old, appeared a few days ago at the Civil Guard barracks in Felanitx accompanied by his lawyer to make the formal request, according to Ultima Hora. The Civil Guard has forwarded the request to the National Police, which is responsible for processing these procedures.
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The man argues an “insurmountable fear” of returning to Florida, where he has official residence although he has spent several years living in France. In his statement before the Civil Guard, he detailed the practices of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and added that he fears being retaliated against for his democratic ideas opposing the policies developed by the Donald Trump Administration. He even said he feels “in danger” if forced to return to the United States, so he has requested permission to reside in Spain.
The United States citizen has been on the island for about three weeks, where his parents own a home in the Felanitx area. He also told the Civil Guard officers that the climate of freedom felt in Spain has nothing to do with the atmosphere of fear experienced in the United States since Trump became president. He also defended Pedro Sánchez’s international leadership role against the war in Iran. The agency responsible for processing asylum requests will now have to examine whether this application meets all the required criteria.
The number of asylum requests in Spain from United States citizens is practically insignificant. In 2024, the last year for which complete data is available, there were only 20 requests out of more than 165,000 received throughout the year. Asylum requests from the United States are infrequent since it is a democratic country and the application must explain in detail why the applicant’s life or freedom is at risk in their country of origin. The few applicants are usually activists, transgender people, political objectors, or citizens claiming ideological persecution.
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The man is on vacation on the island, where his family has a house
A large part of the asylum requests Spain receives come from citizens emigrated from countries at war, many of them in Africa, from where they have traveled by small boat to Spain. However, the highest volume of asylum requests in recent years has come from Venezuela. Of the more than 165,000 submitted in 2024, a total of 66,134 were from this country.
The refugee status is granted to any person who has well-founded fears of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinions, membership of a particular social group, gender, or sexual orientation. They must be outside their country of nationality and unable or unwilling to return due to fear of consequences, as detailed by the Government’s Asylum and Refuge Office.
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