U.S. Critiques Morocco's Handling of Migration Amid Political Allegations
In a striking turn of events, the stance of the United States regarding Morocco has notably shifted in recent days. Amid the ongoing migration crisis in Ceuta, the White House and the State Department have rushed to position Rabat as one of their most steadfast allies in North Africa, emphasizing its cooperation on security, counterterrorism, immigration, and normalization of relations with Israel. However, contrasting reports emerging from within the U.S. government depict a far less flattering reality. Documents drafted by U.S. diplomats and testimonies presented before Congress illustrate Morocco as a nation grappling with severe deficiencies in combatting human trafficking, even suggesting that Morocco has exploited immigration to influence Spain's foreign policy.
This dichotomy has become particularly pronounced during the current migration crisis in Spain. While the Trump Administration has publicly blamed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government for the situation, avoiding accountability for Rabat, the State Department had a few weeks ago warned about the risks faced by immigrants as they traverse through Morocco.
Reports Detail Human Trafficking and Inadequate Protection for Migrants
The 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report, the most recent assessment, 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 it acknowledges some progress, it immediately states that Rabat "failed to meet the minimum standards in several key areas." This report was compiled by Joe Biden's team prior to Trump assuming the presidency in 2025. The deficiencies outlined are specific and alarming. The State Department argues that Moroccan authorities apply victim identification protocols unevenly, irregularly directing victims to shelters and assistance services, resulting in the underutilization of specialized centers designed to assist them.
Furthermore, the report criticizes Rabat for failing to adequately protect the most vulnerable immigrants. It concludes that due to inadequate detection among vulnerable populations, such as migrants, the government has not implemented effective measures to prevent potential victims from being improperly penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct consequence of their exploitation. Additionally, the report devotes a section specifically to migration routes that directly impact Spain, asserting 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 explicitly references the Spanish territories most exposed to these routes, noting that undocumented sub-Saharan and Moroccan migrants who clandestinely cross from Morocco to Spain's enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta or to the Canary Islands, and subsequently to the rest of Europe, "risk becoming trafficking victims in Morocco and in Europe."
The U.S. diplomacy links part of this vulnerability to decisions made by Morocco. 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 trapped in Moroccan territory with no means to return to their countries. The report also describes an inadequate protection system, revealing that Morocco identified 452 potential trafficking victims in 2024, yet only 229 were formally recognized. Merely 34 received shelter in a facility managed by a non-governmental organization with public and international support. The State Department indicates that officials consulted for the report were often unaware of identification procedures and rarely managed to detect victims proactively.
Warnings about Morocco's practices extend further. On February 10 of this year, the Subcommittee on Europe of the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing entirely dedicated to the so-called "mass immigration used as a weapon," referring to the strategic use of migration movements for political or geopolitical gain. Among the witnesses was Matt Boyse, a U.S. diplomat for thirty-five years and currently a researcher at the Hudson Institute. In his testimony, included in the hearing's record, he specifically addressed the relationship between Morocco and Spain, concluding that "Morocco has been using migrants to shift Spanish policy, and it has succeeded." Boyse pinpointed the May 2021 Ceuta crisis as a turning point, stating that "the most drastic changes occurred after Morocco pushed between 8,000 and 10,000 people towards the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in just two days, following Spain's provision of hospital treatment to a rebel leader from Western Sahara."
Boyse linked that migration crisis to Spain's subsequent shift in its stance on Western Sahara. "Since then," he noted, "Spain has abandoned nearly fifty years of neutrality regarding the Western Sahara conflict, and President Sánchez endorsed Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan as the most serious, realistic, and credible proposal." The impact of this pressure is clear, according to the witness. He did not present the Spanish case as an isolated incident in Europe but included it among a series of instances in which different states utilize migration flows to impose costs, pressure other governments, and achieve political changes. In his statement, he also analyzed actions attributed to Russia, Belarus, and Turkey.
Boyse described immigrants as a form 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 whenever and however desired, sending political messages, imposing costs, and achieving modifications in foreign policy." In light of these reports, while the Trump Administration continues to portray Morocco as a reliable partner in migration matters and focuses its criticism on the Spanish government, its own documents and the testimonies included in the official legislative record depict a scenario in which Rabat is associated with significant deficiencies in protecting immigrants, as well as a clear precedent of using migration flows to extract direct concessions from Spain.
As reported by lavozdegalicia.es.
