Spain praises Morocco's action against illegal migration

The numerous attempts to illegally cross from Morocco into Spain in recent hours through the border crossings with Ceuta and Melilla, especially in the enclave of Ceuta, were effectively halted by the security forces of the North African country before they were completed. 

The Spanish government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has given a positive assessment of Moroccan police action in containing the large wave of clandestine migrants, which has affected the Ceuta border in particular.

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs thus opposed criticism from the Spanish right and urged the opposition members of Parliament to ‘recognise the work carried out by the Moroccan security forces’ in containing all attempts at illegal crossing of the borders between Spain and Morocco, both by sea and by land. 

In recent days, there have been numerous appeals on social networks for anyone interested in trying to cross illegally from Morocco to Spain. Thousands of immigrants, mainly of Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian nationality, tried to cross into Spain, mainly through the Ceuta border, starting from nearby enclaves such as Tetuan or Castillejos (Fnideq), but the vast majority of them were stopped by the effective controls set up by the Moroccan police and the Royal Gendarmerie. 

More than 4,500 arrests were made in recent days of suspected illegal migrants allegedly trying to cross the border between Morocco and Spain clandestinely. The system put in place proved to be highly effective in preventing the vast majority of these massive attempts at illegal crossings. 

Police sources counted up to six organised assaults on the fence separating Morocco from Ceuta, which shows the effort that the security forces had to make to stop these attempts. 

Behind this wave of illegal migration were these appeals via social networks, behind which there is speculation that the Algerian intelligence services might even be behind, according to media reports, given the poor diplomatic relations between Algeria and Morocco. Ties have deteriorated, especially since the Algerian state broke off relations with the Moroccan kingdom in August 2021 after accusing it of ‘hostile acts’ and due to profound differences on important issues such as the sovereignty of Western Sahara.

Morocco and Spain coordinated security arrangements on both sides of the border to contain the coming wave of migrants, and they were effective. In this regard, the Spanish government has praised the success of its migratory cooperation with the Moroccan kingdom, especially highlighting the response of the Moroccan authorities to the attempts of mass migration registered since last week in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. 

Along these lines, on the stage of Spain's Congress of Deputies, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that cooperation between Madrid and Rabat has been fundamental in thwarting thousands of attempts at irregular migration to Spain. 

These statements were countered by criticism from the Spanish right, especially from the far-right VOX party. 

A deputy from this party called on the government to cut the budget for its migratory cooperation with Morocco, claiming that the North African country is using migration as a ‘tool for political pressure’. He also urged the Spanish government to ‘immediately expel people who enter Spain irregularly or commit crimes’. 

According to the Europa Press news agency, the Spanish minister responded to these criticisms by calling for ‘recognition of the work carried out by the Moroccan security forces’.

The Spanish minister particularly highlighted Morocco's collaboration with the Spanish security forces ‘when it comes to protecting the border of Ceuta and Melilla’. 

José Manuel Albares praised Spain's security cooperation with countries such as Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, as well as with Morocco, and the increased efforts in development cooperation. 

For its part, Morocco has long emphasised that its approach to migration includes efforts to preserve internal security and stability, insisting that it is interested in a ‘cooperation of shared responsibility’ rather than one in which it is expected to act as a kind of policeman for Europe. 

Security cooperation between Spain and Morocco has always been solid and in recent times has demonstrated its extraordinary strength. Border control is essential to prevent illegal migration and possible problems arising from migratory pressure, especially in terms of security, both of the countries and, above all, of the illegal migrants themselves, who risk their lives in most cases to reach Spanish and European territory, fleeing difficult living conditions or even repression in their countries of origin, especially in Africa. These people are taken advantage of by various criminal gangs involved in the illegal trafficking of people. 

The excellent diplomatic relations currently existing between Morocco and Spain, favourably enhanced following the Spanish government's recognition of the Kingdom's proposal for broad autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara as the ‘most serious, credible and realistic’ way of resolving the Sahrawi dispute, further strengthen collaboration on security and migration issues between two countries considered neighbours and allies.