More than 200 individuals of Moroccan nationality who were residing in Belgium irregularly have been forced to return to Morocco this year.
State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor (CD&V), announced this on Wednesday and expressed satisfaction with the "fourfold increase."
Since the beginning of this year, 203 people have been sent back to Morocco, including 113 who were released from prison. Throughout 2023, only 43 people were returned.
De Moor attributes the rise to a renewed partnership with Morocco. During a federal mission to Morocco in April, the two countries agreed to enhance their cooperation on migration and repatriation. Returns had already slightly risen before the mission, but the trend has significantly increased since then.
"Managing migration can’t be done alone. You need to collaborate with countries of origin, and today we have a good and constructive partnership with the Moroccan government," said De Moor. "The joint mission in April, with a broad approach focusing on economics, security, migration, and repatriation, is clearly yielding results."
Morocco is a crucial partner for Belgium on migration, according to De Moor. Nearly 80,000 Moroccans reside regularly in Belgium, and many come each year to visit family, study, or work. However, there is also a significant number of Moroccan nationals residing irregularly, she noted.
De Moor believes the number of those being forcibly repatriated should further increased. "By getting repatriation to Morocco back on track, we have a stronger deterrent. Now, there is a real opportunity to forcibly return people who shouldn’t be here, whereas police officers often had to let them go in the past."
