Moroccan Migrants Second Largest Group in EU’s Declining Illegal Immigration

Out of nearly 124,000 people who illegally immigrated to the European Union (EU) in 2020, Moroccans are in second place, just ahead of Syrians, and followed by Tunisians, then Algerians, according to the SchengenVisaInfo website, citing the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). This low number of illegal migrants last year is explained by the restrictive measures imposed by the Member States in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Thus, "the Eastern Mediterranean migration route saw the biggest drop in the number of arrivals, which fell by three-quarters to around 20,000. The number of illegal border crossings detected on the Western Mediterranean route decreased by 29% to around 17,000," Frontex said.

However, the number of illegal border crossings detected on the West African migration route was multiplied by eight compared to 2019, resulting in more than 22,600 cases detected in 2020, from Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia. A number never reached since 2009. As for irregular migration in the Central Mediterranean, the number has almost tripled, reaching more than 35,600 migrants. Due to this number, the Central Mediterranean represents the most active migration route to Europe, especially with migrants from Libya, the same source stressed.

It should be noted that in 2020, about one in ten migrants was a woman, while in 2019 women represented one in four migrants. At the same time, one in ten migrants was a minor in 2020, while they represented 23% of the number of illegal migrants in 2019.