Morocco Defends Migration Deterrence Amid Spanish Court Ruling

A Moroccan government source said a Spanish judge’s July 8 decision – which treats sea arrivals of irregular migrants as a barrier to automatic deportation – weakens the deterrence system that Morocco has built with Spain. The source stressed that Morocco has never failed to meet its obligations and that the decision was not caused by traffickers but by the court ruling itself.

The source highlighted Morocco’s ongoing role in curbing irregular migration, noting that 74,000 attempts were foiled in 2025 and 79,000 in 2024, roughly 160,000 over two years. It added that 632 migration networks were dismantled in 2024‑2025 and more than 32,000 sea rescues were carried out in the same period, with over 360,000 attempts thwarted in the past five years. Cooperation with Spain was described as “model”.