Moroccan Police Arrive in Paris to Aid Repatriation of Unaccompanied Minors

All the return conditions allowing the repatriation of these children had been discussed by the two Ministers of Justice, Mohamed Benabdelkader and Eric Dupond-Moretti. France has invited the Moroccan judicial and security services to gather information on these children in order to facilitate their return to the country.

An agreement signed between the two parties has made available to France four police officers, who have settled in the "La goutte d’Or" district in Paris in order to support cooperation in the field of security, and to fight against illegal immigration and organized crime. This agreement, also called "Administrative Arrangements", also takes into account the exchange of expertise and fieldwork.

For the French Minister of Justice, the agreement aims to develop concrete tools for the care of unaccompanied minors of Moroccan origin. It should "allow youth judges to have the essential elements to take the most appropriate measures in the interest of these children, including return".

In total, 6,760 young people were supported in 2019 by child welfare services in all French departments. This figure has doubled in three years, according to the latest report from the National Mission for Unaccompanied Minors. The same report specifies that they mainly come from West African countries (Guinea, Mali or Côte d’Ivoire...), while nearly 11% come from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Albania, Afghanistan and Pakistan...