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Homeless seek refuge at Madrid airport as rents soar

Homeless people lay on the floor in Terminal 4 of the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport in Madrid, on May 28, 2025. [AFP]

Victor Fernando Meza works during the day, but his salary is not enough to afford rent in the Spanish capital Madrid. So, once again, the 45-year-old Peruvian will spend the night at the airport.

On a sweltering May evening, Meza arrived at Barajas airport before 9:00 pm -- just in time to get past security. Any later, and people without a boarding pass are not allowed in under a new policy implemented a week ago to deter the hundreds of homeless people staying overnight.

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