Dozens of people have spent the night in front of the Oficina d"Atenció Ciutadana Monumental, on Sicília street in Barcelona, to try to get a prior appointment for the procedures linked to the extraordinary regularization of migrants. The accumulation of applicants has again left long queues from early morning in the vicinity of the old Monumental bullring.
At 8:45 hours this Saturday, the line stretched along Diputació and Sardenya streets and continued along Gran Via, almost until La Monumental. The high demand has made that appointments are already being assigned for next Thursday, which has pushed many users to attend with many hours of anticipation, even during the night.
Intervention of the Guardia Urbana to order the wait
Agents of the Guardia Urbana have had to organize the queue to avoid disputes over turns and to prevent the concentration of people from hindering the passage of pedestrians in the area. The police presence has focused on maintaining order and channeling the wait at a point with a large influx of residents and pedestrian traffic.
The tension has not been limited to this office. On Friday, complicated moments were already registered at the OAC in Sant Miquel square, where the intervention of the Mossos d'Esquadra was necessary.
You wait for hours to get an appointment
Among the people waiting this Saturday was David, a user of the office, who claimed to feel "hopeful" about getting an appointment and being attended to "as soon as possible".
"There the situation is complicated and at times violent because there are people who do not want to respect the turns" - Marilyn, citizen who was waiting with family members
The image on Sicília street reflects the pressure that these service points in Barcelona endure, with users who choose to spend the night in the public street to secure a turn in the coming days while police forces try to avoid incidents and maintain pedestrian circulation in the area.