Morocco foils 74,000 illegal migration attempts in 2019- Interior ministry

Morocco has foiled 74,000 illegal migration attempts in 2019 resulting in a 60% drop in arrivals to Spain the same year, head of migration and border management at the Interior Ministry Khalid Zerouali said.

Morocco has taken special measures to stop the flow of illegal migrants to Spain since 2017, Zerouali told AFP.

He said Morocco continues to witness same levels of pressure recalling that in 2018 authorities have prevented 89,000 people from illegally crossing to Spain.
Morocco, which also assists victims of illegal migration, rescued at sea 19,554 illegal migrants in 2019.

The degradation of security conditions in Libya pushed many migrants to opt for Morocco as a transit point, he said, noting that Morocco busted 208 migrant trafficking networks in 2019, compared with 229 a year earlier.

Arrivals in Spain have been slashed by 90% between 2004 and 2016, he said.

When asked about cooperation with the EU, Zerouali said Morocco received 140 million euros including 70 million as a direct budgetary support and recently the North African country received 100 million euros but noted that this aid is “not enough” as Morocco spends much more in border control.