Expelled from France, Moroccan Man Risks His Life to Reach Europe Again
Abdel Mounib arrived in France at 16 and was taken into care by child welfare services. He lived and worked there for twenty years before being deported to Morocco. At 38, he tried to reach Europe by swimming, despite not knowing how.
Twenty years of life in France, followed by a forced return to Morocco. Abdel Mounib was just 16 when he arrived in Grenoble in 2004. Taken into care by the Isère department’s child welfare services (ASE), the young Moroccan grew up, worked and built his life in France. That lasted until 2024, when he was deported to his country of origin. Now 38, he recounts his story to La Voix du Nord, which met him at a migrant camp in Ceuta.
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In France, Abdel had obtained a residence permit and held a series of jobs. After a period of unemployment, he found a permanent job at a brasserie. The establishment was bought by a new owner, and his employment ended through a mutual termination agreement. His residence permit was not renewed afterward. At 36, he was sent back to Morocco.
Back in the Ouezzane region, he fell into depression. He spent his days sleeping, rarely went out and struggled to find himself in a country he had left as a teenager. His life, habits and career were now in France.
A life buoy made from plastic bottles
On July 30, videos announcing the opening of the Ceuta border circulated on social media. Abdel decided to take his chances. Around midnight, he arrived at the water’s edge with makeshift equipment: several plastic bottles tied together with the cord from his hood.
“I took a lot of risks because I can’t swim,” he says. He fastened the improvised buoy around his waist and plunged into the sea. During the crossing, another man grabbed onto him and nearly dragged him underwater.
He eventually reached the rocks on the Spanish side. Members of the Guardia Civil reached out to help migrants get out of the water. Abdel then saw bodies covered with white sheets and families searching for their children. Four bodies, he says, remained etched in his memory.
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Two months later, Abdel is still living on Trampolín beach in a makeshift shelter. Injured in the leg, he shares the daily life of migrants living in precarious camps in Ceuta. The man who once had a job and a residence permit in France is now without stable housing in Spain.
Despite his situation, he refuses to return to Morocco. “I know France better than Morocco,” he says. His goal remains to get back to the country where he spent twenty years of his life, find a job and resume a quiet life.
