Shifting Perspectives on U.S.-Morocco Relations
The recent stance of the United States regarding Morocco has undergone a noticeable shift in the past few days. Amid a crisis in Ceuta, both the White House and the State Department have rushed to present Rabat as one of their staunchest allies in North Africa, emphasizing its cooperation in areas such as security, counter-terrorism, immigration, and the normalization of relations with Israel. However, other U.S. reports reflect a less flattering reality. Documents produced by U.S. diplomacy and testimonies presented before Congress depict a nation struggling with severe shortcomings in combatting human trafficking, even labeling Morocco as an example of how immigration can be manipulated to alter Spain's foreign policy.
This contrast has become particularly evident during the ongoing migration crisis in Spain. While the Trump Administration has publicly held Pedro Sánchez's government accountable for the situation and refrained from placing blame on Rabat, the State Department itself warned just weeks ago about the dangers immigrants face while traversing Morocco.
The latest Trafficking in Persons Report 2025 begins with an unusual conclusion for a strategic ally: “The Government of Morocco does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.” While acknowledging some progress, it immediately adds that Rabat has failed to meet minimum standards in several key areas. This report was prepared by Joe Biden's team prior to Trump's presidency beginning in 2025.
Specific deficiencies outlined in the report are alarming. The State Department asserts that Moroccan authorities apply victim identification protocols unevenly, irregularly directing victims to shelters and assistance services, and this lack of coordination leads to the underutilization of specialized centers established to assist them. Furthermore, Rabat is criticized for inadequately protecting the most vulnerable immigrants. The report concludes that due to improper and irregular detection among vulnerable populations, such as migrants, the government has not implemented effective measures to prevent potential victims from being unduly penalized for illegal acts committed as a direct consequence of their exploitation.
Exploitation Within Migration Routes
The report dedicates a specific section to migration routes that directly affect Spain. It states that “foreign migrants, both documented and undocumented, especially women and children, are highly vulnerable to forced labor and sexual exploitation in Morocco and during their transit through Morocco to Europe.” It expressly references the Spanish territories most exposed to these routes: “Undocumented Sub-Saharan and Moroccan migrants who clandestinely cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta or towards the Canary Islands—and subsequently into the rest of Europe—risk becoming victims of trafficking in Morocco and Europe.”
U.S. diplomacy links part of that vulnerability to decisions made by Morocco itself. The document recalls that “in 2022, the government tightened border restrictions with Europe,” a measure that, according to observers cited in the report, increased the vulnerability of undocumented emigrants who became trapped in Moroccan territory and could not return to their countries.
The report also describes an insufficient protection system. Morocco identified 452 potential trafficking victims in 2024, but only 229 were formally recognized as such. A mere 34 received shelter in a facility run by a non-governmental organization with public and international support. The State Department notes that officials consulted for the report were often unaware of identification procedures and rarely succeeded in proactively detecting victims.
Warnings regarding Morocco do not stop there. On February 10 of this year, the Subcommittee on Europe of the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing dedicated entirely to the so-called “mass immigration weaponization,” which refers to the strategic use of migration movements to gain political or geopolitical advantages. Among the witnesses was Matt Boyse, a 35-year veteran U.S. diplomat and now a researcher at the Hudson Institute. In his statement, included in the hearing record, he specifically addressed the relationship between Morocco and Spain. His conclusion was direct: “Morocco has been using migrants to change Spanish policy, and it has succeeded.”
Boyse identified the May 2021 Ceuta crisis as a turning point, stating, “The most drastic changes occurred after Morocco pushed approximately 10,000 people toward the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla within just two days, following Spain's offer of hospital treatment to a Western Sahara rebel leader.” The former diplomat referred to Brahim Ghali, the Polisario Front leader who received treatment in Spain. He establishes a direct correlation between that migration crisis and the subsequent shift in the Spanish government’s position on Western Sahara. “Since then,” his statement notes, “Spain has abandoned nearly fifty years of neutrality regarding the Western Sahara conflict, with President Sánchez backing Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan as the most serious, realistic, and credible proposal.” The effect of this pressure, according to Boyse, is clear.
The witness did not present the Spanish case as an isolated incident in Europe. He included it within a series of cases where various states utilize migration flows to impose costs, pressure other governments, and obtain political changes. In his statement, he also analyzed actions attributed to Russia, Belarus, and Turkey. Boyse described immigrants as a kind of “thermometer” that certain governments can raise or lower according to their interests. According to his analysis, these flows allow for “pressuring NATO member states at will,” sending political messages, imposing costs, and achieving modifications in foreign policy.
In light of these reports, while the Trump Administration insists on portraying Morocco as a reliable partner in immigration matters and focuses its criticisms on the Spanish government, its own reports and testimonies included in the official legislative record depict a landscape where Rabat is associated with both serious deficiencies in immigrant protection and a clear precedent for the manipulation of migration flows to secure explicit concessions from Spain.
As reported by abc.es.
