From Death Threats to Village Festival: Mora de Rubielos’ Story

“I’m happy because I have some work, and I like living in a small village. The people here are kind.”

These are the words of 26-year-old Yaya, spoken in Spanish. He also speaks Wolof, Pular, Mandinka, Zarma, Bambara, French, and a little English—an impressive linguistic repertoire.

Yaya fled Niger a little over a year ago, escaping a conflict zone near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali. He arrived by boat on El Hierro, a small Canary Island, spent a brief time in Madrid, and has now been living in Mora de Rubielos for six months , in an asylum seeker center. The center is housed in a hotel just outside the village and is run by ACCEM, a major Spanish organization dedicated to supporting refugees.

A Rocky Start

Mora de Rubielos has a population of just 1,900. When the center opened in September 2024, it caused quite a stir. The sudden arrival of 110 young men from sub-Saharan Africa sparked anger among some residents. Staff at the center even received death threats over the phone, with callers saying things like, “I hope you all burn.” The incident made headlines.

The Village Festival

How did things change so dramatically? I asked the mayor, Hugo Arquímedes Ríos: “It was all very abrupt. The Ministry of Migration, tasked with placing refugees, called hotels across Spain to find accommodation for this group. The hotel in our village could offer space. However, we only found out about this 15 days before the refugees arrived. This lack of notice caused problems at first. But once they were here, things went smoothly. They arrived on September 4th, and by September 29th, we invited them all to our village festival. Many came—some even dressed up like the rest of us!”

The initial crisis, it seems, was largely due to poor and late communication. Informing people about changes in their community is crucial. This aligns with findings from the MATILDE project (Migration Impact Assessment to Enhance Integration and Local Development in European Rural and Mountain Regions), which emphasizes a bottom-up approach. It makes a world of difference when local authorities, like the mayor, communicate news in a timely manner, rather than having decisions imposed from provincial or national levels.

Work and Housing

The asylum seeker center still primarily houses young men from sub-Saharan Africa who are seeking political asylum after fleeing war and conflict zones. They are awaiting the outcome of their applications. During this period—ideally four months, but sometimes six—they learn Spanish and prepare for their new lives. Once they receive their (temporary) work permits, they can start working.

Some, like Yaya, find work locally, while others move to join family already living elsewhere in Spain. The main challenge? Housing. For the first month of employment, they can stay at the center. But once they receive their first salary, they must find their own accommodation—and that’s not easy.

Mora de Rubielos is mostly made up of single-family homes, designed for traditional family structures, not single (asylum-seeking) individuals. The mayor explains that this is why it would be beneficial for entire families to eventually join: “It’s also better for the people themselves—you want to live with your family. We have plenty of land and plenty of work here. The only issue is that there aren’t enough suitable homes.”

Building more housing is expensive, even for social housing projects. The mayor suggests constructing high-quality temporary housing, such as modular homes or container housing, fully equipped. For the time being, the men could live there until their families arrive. An added benefit: such homes are relatively easy to relocate to other parts of Spain where the need is greater at any given time.

Migrants Are Desperately Needed

The mayor has arranged an additional bus line at midday so the newcomers can attend training courses in the city of Teruel. These courses, offered by local businesses, cover sectors like hospitality, industrial cleaning, maintenance, and electrical work.

The province of Teruel, like several others in Spain, urgently needs migrant workers. According to recent World Bank data, Spain requires 300,000 migrants to sustain its welfare state. Enrique Gómez, a delegate for the province of Teruel, stated at a meeting shortly after the threats in Mora de Rubielos: “The arrival of migrants in Teruel is crucial for the future of many municipalities.”

There are job vacancies in agriculture, horticulture, healthcare, construction, and hospitality—like Yaya, who works in the kitchen of a bar, washing dishes and keeping things clean. The Spanish TV channel La Sexta even launched a social media campaign, #SinEllos (“Without Them”), showing short videos from various sectors to illustrate what would remain of the workforce if migrants were not there. It’s a powerful way to raise public awareness.

Yet, one might argue: everyone deserves a safe place, regardless of whether a country needs them to keep its economy afloat. This was a common critique stated in some Spanish newspapers. The issue is complex.

An International Community

Despite the rocky start, things in Mora de Rubielos now seem to be running smoothly. The group of newcomers from the center aren’t the only ones giving this small village an international flair. Of its 1,931 inhabitants, 27% are from other countries—70% from Africa, 20% from North and South America, and 10% from other European nations. And then there are the tourists. Mora de Rubielos is, after all, a Pueblo Mágico —a “magical village.”