Moroccan Survivors Warn: Illegal Migration to Spain ’Like Paying to Die’

Saad Kataloni, from Dakhla, still has vivid images in his mind of his friends who drowned before his eyes as they tried to reach the Canary Islands by boat. He was able to be saved because he was wearing a life jacket after the boat that was transporting them sank due to the overload of passengers. "I will study and find a job. When I have a salary, it will be easier to travel to Europe with a visa," he tells EFE, adding that trying to immigrate illegally "is like paying to die." Determined, Saad has already enrolled in a driving school. He wants to become a carrier.

As for Bouaza Ben Anaya, he had tried to illegally immigrate to Spain twenty years ago. Today, at the age of 56, the man from Tangier recounts that the organizer of the trip had stolen his money (25,000 dirhams, or about 2,400 euros), which had not allowed him to reach his goal. Since his return to Morocco, he runs a small kiosk in the city center. "Young people migrate for lack of work. And since working in the fields with their parents is difficult for them, they choose to immigrate," he explains.

For Hanane Serrhini, a Moroccan specialist in migration issues, illegal immigration has unfortunately become "a solution to unemployment in Morocco." According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 937 migrants have lost their lives at sea between January and November, a figure that does not necessarily reflect reality, as many other migrants disappear and are never found.