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Rabat – Slovenian police consider Morocco one of the top four countries of origin for irregular migrants and asylum seekers, Brussels-based news outlet Euractiv reported.
Slovenia has long been a host and transit country. Nearly 14% of residents in Slovenia are foreign-born with a majority (86%) originating from former Yugoslav countries, Slovenia’s Statistical Office reported in December 2021.
In 2021, the country witnessed an increase in asylum-seeking applications and a drop in the number of irregular migrants. Slovenian police recorded a 41% increase in asylum-seeking requests. Half of them were initiated by Afghanistanis, Pakistanis, Turks, Iranians, and Iraqis, according to Euractiv.
While migrants request asylum, the police confirmed that most of them leave the country before having their applications processed. Euractiv quoted the latest police report on irregular migration stating that “after they are accommodated in asylum facilities, most of them leave of their own accord and continue their journey to their actual destination countries.”
In 2020, 1,226 Moroccans applied for refugee status in Slovenia but only one request was granted. The Slovenian government considers Morocco to be a safe country of origin, leading to high rejection rates. Consequently, Morocco ranked first as the country of origin of most detained asylum seekers with 66 detainees ahead of Pakistan (60), Afghanistan (43), and Algeria (16), the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) stated.
Additionally, Slovenian police stopped irregular border crossing attempts of 2,414 Moroccans and returned 1,304 irregular migrants to Morocco. As a result, Morocco ranked fourth in the list of countries of origin with the most returnee migrants after Pakistan (3,025), Afghanistan (2,100), and Bangladesh (1,378), ECRE added.
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