A total of 88,761 illegal immigration attempts were foiled by the Moroccan authorities during the year 2018, of which 70,571 were third country nationals, up 37% from the previous year, according to the National Observatory of Migration. In a statement issued after its meeting on Thursday, the National Observatory of Migration, under the Interior Ministry, added that 229 trafficking networks were dismantled in 2018, stating that 80% of the illegal immigrants are foreigners and 29,715 immigrants were rescued at sea, while 5,608 immigrants opted for voluntary return to their country of origin. Participants in this meeting noted that in terms of migration, 2018 was for the Kingdom of Morocco a pivotal year marked by major events that consolidated the leadership of the Kingdom at several levels, noting that at the continental level, the vision of the King, was initiated by the signing of the agreement related to the African Observatory of Migration. At the international level, the credibility of the Kingdom was reinforced by the organization in December 2018 in Marrakesh of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Forum on Migration and Development. The statement underlined that at the national level, the achievements of the National Strategy for Immigration and Asylum have been strengthened by strong sectoral actions on the integration of migrants, noting that at the operational level, Morocco faced in 2018 an unprecedented upsurge in illegal migration flows, exacerbated by an unstable regional environment.
