Macron’s Morocco Visit to Address Unspoken Migration Challenges

The Elysée did not mention this issue, which is so important, in its presentation of the stakes of Macron’s state visit to Rabat. But the question will certainly be on the agenda of the exchanges between the French president and the Moroccan authorities. "The habit is to present to the Rabat authorities lists with several hundred names of undesirable Moroccan nationals in France. After several days, the answer comes back to us, with a green light on a few files. For a few weeks, the relationship is fluid then tightens again depending on the ups and downs of the bilateral relationship," confides a former member of the Darmanin teams to L’Opinion.

The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, who is part of the delegation accompanying the French president to Rabat, is said to have already paved the way with his Moroccan counterpart. "A committee dedicated to mobility and migration issues [...] was held at the operational level between the two Ministries of the Interior," the Elysée informs, adding that following the spirit of the "global agenda", it is appropriate to "discuss the fight against irregular immigration and cooperation in this area, including readmission, prevention of departures".

The migration issue deserves sustained attention, as the figures are alarming. According to data from the French Ministry of the Interior, 10,714 Moroccans were turned away at the border in 2022, making them the first nationality to be denied access to French territory. Also, 945 nationals of the kingdom were the subject of a removal measure. What about Moroccans under OQTF who could not return to Morocco due to Morocco’s refusal? The execution rate of these forced returns does not exceed 10%, we learn. A low performance that Bruno Retailleau intends to improve.

Paris’ change of position last July on the Moroccanness of the Sahara should contribute to improving migration cooperation between the two countries. However, Rabat believes that the return of its nationals who may have committed offenses or crimes in the Hexagon would only increase crime in the kingdom, stressing that the "fault" lies primarily with the French system if an MRE who has spent years in France is ultimately forced to return to the country.