Moroccan Population in Spain Surges 136% Over Decade, New Report Finds

This 20-page report titled "Moroccans in Spain: a portrait of a large and potentially influential community" published on Thursday analyzes the growing political and religious involvement of this large Moroccan community in Spain. An analysis that is justified in view of the change in position on the Sahara and the statements, at the beginning of April, of Enaam Mayara, the president of the Chamber of Advisors of Morocco, asking the Moroccans of Spain to form a "lobby" to defend the interests of the kingdom, reports The Objective.

The document points out that out of the 872,759 Moroccans living in Spain, half are registered in Catalonia (238,192) and Andalusia (157,113). The Murcia region comes in third place with 89,914 Moroccan residents. It is followed by the Basque Country where "Moroccans constitute the first community of foreigners, estimated in 2019 at 22,000 out of a total of 151,000, an increase of 16.4% since the 2015 census".

The Foundation recalls that Morocco benefits from significant aid from the European Union and Spain to protect its borders and fight against illegal immigration. "In 2019, Morocco obtained 140 million euros from the EU: 70 in direct contribution to its budget and the other 70 in various equipment, including 1,300 surveillance vehicles, boats, radars and computer systems. Spain, for its part, provided 32 million euros in 2019, and 30 million per year in 2020, 2021 and 2022," the report reveals.

The document also highlights the strategy of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to "control its citizens abroad", particularly in Spain, through associations such as the Association of Moroccan Workers in Spain (ATIME), religious bodies such as the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (FEERI) or political ones. The report also notes a growing number of Moroccan jihadists in Spain. In 2022, 46 jihadists of Moroccan origin for the most part were arrested in Catalonia, Ceuta and Melilla.