Morocco thwarts fewer illegal migration attempts as route shifts

RABAT – Morocco prevented 6.4 percent fewer attempts by illegal migrants trying to get to Europe in 2025 compared with the previous year,  the interior ministry said on Thursday, adding that people were using different routes and that the issue showed no sign of easing.

In addition to thwarting 73,640 illegal migration attempts, authorities  last year dismantled more than 300 migrant-smuggling networks, the ministry said in emailed  responses to questions.

Years of armed conflict across Africa’s Sahel region, high unemployment and the impact of climate change on farming communities are among the factors driving migrants toward Europe.

Morocco has long been a major departure point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean or Atlantic routes, or by scaling fences surrounding the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco.

With neighbouring Spain, Morocco has strengthened cooperation on undocumented migration since ending a separate diplomatic  dispute in 2022. 

Following tightened controls, a senior official at the directorate overseeing migration and border control said in the emailed comments that migrants had begun using other departure points in West Africa and parts of the southern Mediterranean.

“The marked decline in interceptions points to a gradual reduction in irregular flows, reflecting the steady drying  up of the migration route transiting through Morocco,” he said.

Morocco rescued 13,595 migrants at sea in 2025, while 4,372 irregular migrants took part in voluntary return programmes to their countries of origin in 2025, the ministry said.

Voluntary returns reflect Morocco’s “human-centred  approach to migration management,” which “strikes a balance between firmness and responsibility,” the official said.