Spain Begins Repatriation of Moroccan Migrants from Canary Islands

A month ago, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, went to Rabat to meet with his Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit. At the heart of their discussions, the migration crisis in the Canaries. Although the meeting ended without a concrete decision, the Minister of the Interior declared himself "absolutely satisfied".

A few weeks after this meeting, the archipelago has begun a process of repatriating migrants to Morocco.

According to sources close to the Police, the returns are carried out by commercial flights of the Royal Air Maroc company, on board which 20 Moroccan migrants travel under escort.

The connection between Gran Canaria airport and Laâyoune airport has gone from two to four flights per week. Thus, 80 migrants are sent back to Morocco each week. The procedure for repatriating Moroccan migrants is coordinated by agents from the Foreigners Brigade and the Intervention Unit of the Canary Islands Police.

The official sources of Grande-Marlaska’s department avoid giving details on the number of migrants expelled.