Judge orders ‘stateless’ toddler’s registration in Spain

By ALBERTO ARCE
The Associated Press

A judge has ordered authorities in Spain to register a toddler who was born during her mother’s journey from Cameroon to Europe. According to court documents seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday, the girl’s was born March 27, 2020 birth in an Algeria hospital. But the judge in Spain says Algerian officials never recorded the child’s birth and she must be registered in Spain to prevent her from being declared stateless. The mother and daughter arrived in Spain just after the child’s first birthday. The pair live in a humanitarian reception center in Córdoba province. Judge Francisco Ortega ruled the toddler was entitled to have her full rights under Spanish law guaranteed.