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Marrakech – According to an official report, Spanish authorities have returned 1,612 Moroccan nationals to their home country since 2022 after discovering they were illegally present in Spain.
However, the number of expulsion orders issued against Moroccans during this period reached 5,859, with the majority yet to be carried out.
The report, which was provided by the Spanish government in response to a query from the Popular Party in Congress, details the number of expulsions to Morocco executed from 2022 until May 31 of this year.
The data, accessed by Spanish news agency Servimedia, reveals that in 2022, 2,793 expulsion orders were issued against Moroccan nationals under Article 53.1 a) of the Organic Law 4/2000, which regulates the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain and their social integration. Of these orders, 596 were executed.
Spanish courts issued 2,359 expulsion orders against Moroccans under the same law last year, with 652 being carried out. As of May 31 this year, 707 expulsion decisions had been made. Only 364 of these were implemented.
The Spanish government justified its decision by emphasizing that immigration procedures can take months, meaning that expulsion orders issued in one year may be executed the following year. As a result, the percentage of carried-out expulsions may not be indicative of the overall situation.
The specific clause in the law used to justify these returns allows for expulsion when an individual is found to be illegally present in Spanish territory, either by failing to obtain an extension of stay, lacking a residence permit, or having an expired permit for more than three months.
Read also: Moroccans Are Top Recipients of Spanish Nationalities
