Peruvian Group in Andorra Slams Europe Over Migrant Expulsions

The Peruvian Residents Association in the Principat d'Andorra (ARPPA), linked to the World Organisation of the Peruvian Community Abroad (OMCOPEX), published an open letter on 2 July 2026, signed by president Lorenzo Castillo, rejecting European governments' policies of pursuing, detaining, and expelling migrants in irregular administrative situations.

Directed at European authorities, the Peruvian government, and the international community, the statement highlights profound alarm at mass expulsions, which it says criminalise people forced to leave their countries due to poverty, inequality, armed conflicts, or absent opportunities. ARPPA asserts that no human being is illegal and that migrants do not cause economic crises or threaten host societies. Instead, they work in vital economic areas, generating wealth despite facing precariousness, exploitation, and discrimination.

The association criticises racism, xenophobia, and chauvinism for pitting national workers against foreigners, a tactic it claims fosters job insecurity, strips away rights, and boosts wealth concentration among elites. It urges Peruvian leaders to uphold their constitutional, moral, and political responsibilities by bolstering diplomatic and consular support, forging international pacts to protect migrant rights, and opposing any actions that undermine dignity.

Key demands cover comprehensive human rights safeguards for all migrants irrespective of status, adherence to due process, an immediate halt to arbitrary and collective expulsions, guaranteed access to decent employment, healthcare, education, housing, social services, and justice, and outright dismissal of policies rooted in racism, xenophobia, discrimination, or hatred. The letter invokes solidarity, stressing that migration is a human phenomenon, not a crime, and calls on trade unions, academics, social and cultural groups, human rights organisations, and Peruvian diaspora communities to rally in defence of migrant dignity.

The Peruvian Consulate in Andorra has distanced itself from the letter, stating it represents only ARPPA's and Castillo's positions. Officials called migration a multifaceted issue needing measured approaches under the rule of law and human rights standards, while affirming trust in Andorran and Peruvian bodies to address it via current laws and global agreements.