Spain to deport dozens of Bolivians whose false visas held up cruise ship in Barcelona

Spain to deport dozens of Bolivians whose false visas held up cruise ship in Barcelona

MADRID (AP) — Spain will on Thursday deport more than 60 Bolivians who arrived last week by cruise ship in the northeastern port of Barcelona but were not allowed to disembark because their visas were false.

The Spanish government’s office in Barcelona said 65 of the 69 Bolivians who arrived will be flown to the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz. The plane will be paid for by MSC Cruises, which owns the ship in which they arrived from Brazil.

Four members of a family with Spanish relatives will be allowed to enter Spain.

Spanish authorities said the Bolivian passengers had false visas to enter the European border-free Schengen area, an ID-check-free travel zone comprising 29 European countries.

The Bolivians’ visa problems meant that the cruise ship with more than 1,000 passengers was stuck for two days in Barcelona and unable to continue on its route in the Mediterranean Sea until the situation was resolved.

The cruise ship set sail after the Bolivians were temporarily accommodated in another boat while police interviewed them.

MSC Cruises said last week the Bolivian passengers’ documentation appeared correct upon boarding in Brazil.

The Associated Press