Morocco and Spain have been developing close cooperation against illegal migration for years, with very remarkable work by the security forces of both nations.
This translates into data such as the latest recorded in Melilla. In 2024, the autonomous Spanish city recorded the lowest influx of illegal migrants since the 90s of the last century, with a total of 113 arrivals.
Moroccan security forces prevented up to 49,000 illegal immigration attempts last year, Spain being the gateway to Europe.
Morocco is a priority partner of Spain in the fight against irregular migration. A phenomenon which, in many cases, means the proliferation of illegal acts repeatedly linked to transnational terrorism or the activity of organized criminal gangs.
The movement of these irregular migrants is in many cases linked to the actions of criminal organizations dedicated to the illegal trafficking of people who profit financially from the desperate situation of thousands of people, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa, fleeing poverty, wars and even political repression in their countries. Faced with personal tragedies and the despair of many, these criminal organizations are demanding colossal sums of money to offer an exit route to Europe, mainly via Spain, with routes that often put the lives of these people in danger.
The cooperation of Moroccan security forces in preventing these phenomena has been demonstrated on numerous occasions, such as during the episodes of September 2024, when, following a strong appeal launched on social networks by organized gangs, thousands of illegal migrants tried to storm the border posts of Ceuta and Melilla to cross from Morocco to Spanish territory.
At the time, the Spanish government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, welcomed the action of the Moroccan security forces who had succeeded in containing the wave of illegal migration which had hit the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, both by sea and by land.
