Undocumented Spanish and French outnumber Sub-Saharan immigrants

Washington- Morocco has become a prime destination for migrant workers, and in the past few months, the government has passed a reform package to regularize the legal status of all immigrants in Morocco. Now, migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular, a large majority of European immigrants can call Morocco home.

Due to recent allegations of racism in Morocco targeted at sub-Saharan immigrants, the government took immediate action to quell future discrimination and afford legal rights to the migrants to have access to justice and be accountable for their situations within Morocco.

However, many sub-Saharan immigrants still have yet to legally file under Moroccan law. Making up a considerable portion of the undocumented population in Morocco, those sub-Saharan immigrants are numbered at between 10,000 and 20,000, according to a report by the National Institute of Statistics and Economics.

Morocco is largely thought to be a prime destination for African immigrants, but there has been a recent influx of European migrants in a “reverse immigration” phenomenon for the past few years. The global financial crisis in recent years put the economies of many European nations in trouble, and unable to provide employment for their citizens. As a result, Europeans looking for opportunity, particularly Spanish and French workers have found their way into Morocco. As of now, it estimated there are an estimated between 24,000 and 30,000 undocumented French and Spanish immigrants in Morocco—outnumbering the sub-Saharan immigrant population.

Where are we seeing patterns in illegal immigrants coming from Europe? Before, it was mainly small business managers, riad/small hotel owners, or retirees who have not applied for a permanent residence permit. But now the profile of migrants has changed. Facing a financial crisis in Spain, many Spanish workers have found work opportunities in the service sector and unskilled labor in Casablanca or Marrakech. The undocumented French population in Morocco is similar, many finding opportunity in ‘under-the-table’ work in Morocco’s metropolitan areas.

The report compels the Moroccan National Council on Human Rights to regularize all these people, Europeans as well as sub-Saharan Africans, perhaps to put an end to this relentless wave of illegal immigration and create a legal and transparent process for immigrants subsequently entering the territory.