Belgium returns 233 convicted criminals to Morocco but expels only 8% of undocumented migrants arrested in Schaerbeek

A total of 1,239 foreign nationals without residence permits were forcibly returned from Belgian prisons in 2026, after serving all or most of their sentences. Morocco is their main destination, with 233 returns, ahead of Albania (195) and Algeria (138), reports The Brussels Times.

The number recorded since the beginning of the year has already surpassed the previous record: 1,112 removals were carried out during the first eight months of 2017. Belgium returned 991 former foreign detainees in 2025 and 828 in 2024.

The increase is particularly significant for Morocco. In 2024, 132 Moroccan detainees had been forcibly returned to their country. The figure has now reached 233, while 2026 is not yet over.

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Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt attributes this increase to the political priority given to removals, cooperation with the justice system, and the strengthening of staff and administrative capacities.

Morocco accepts the return of its nationals under agreements regularly renewed with Brussels. The Belgian authorities are seeking in particular to speed up these departures to reduce pressure on their prisons, where Moroccans constitute the largest foreign nationality represented.

In Schaerbeek, only 8% of undocumented migrants detained are expelled

The results are nevertheless very different when it no longer concerns former detainees. Martin de Brabant, acting mayor of Schaerbeek, criticizes the federal government for not removing enough people without residence permits arrested in his municipality.

According to his figures, only 8% of them have actually been expelled. This proportion cannot be directly compared with the 233 returns to Morocco: it concerns all undocumented migrants detained in Schaerbeek, regardless of nationality, and not foreign nationals leaving prison.

On Bladi.net : Belgium Prison Overcrowding: Moroccan Detainee Transfer Plan

The contrast nevertheless reveals the two faces of Belgian policy. Expulsions are now carried out quickly when people have completed a prison sentence and can be taken directly into the administration’s care. For undocumented migrants arrested in municipalities, removal remains much rarer.