Morocco-Spain cooperation lowers Canary Islands crossings

Coordination between Morocco and Spain in border management and maritime surveillance coincided with a sharp drop in irregular migration along the West African route, Moroccan government-friendly Yabiladi reported on 12 March.

Irregular crossings toward the Canary Islands fell from about 47,000 in 2024 to around 17,000 in 2025, a 63% decrease, while departures from Morocco declined by 17%according to a report by the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA).

By contrast, crossings on the Western Mediterranean route rose from roughly 17,000 to about 19,000 over the same period. Algerian nationals accounted for more than two-thirds of departures along that route, while Morocco ranked tenth among nationalities involved in illegal EU border crossings in 2025, with 6,786 cases.

Yabiladi, Maghrebi.org