Spain has deployed a 1,600-foot floating barrier along its maritime border near Ceuta in response to increased migrant crossings. This measure comes amid a backdrop of significant loss of life, with tens of thousands of migrants having perished in Mediterranean and Atlantic crossings over the past decade.
Sociologist of migration Hein de Haas notes that restrictive immigration policies often fail to halt migration due to a persistent structural demand for cheap labor in Europe. The waters surrounding the continent are described as holding the remains of those who died attempting to reach Europe, a consequence of policies that manage human mobility as a threat rather than address it humanely.
Despite these policies, the combination of rising global inequality, violence, and the demand for labor continues to drive migration. According to Mehdi Alioua, a Moroccan sociologist, current border strategies do not stop migration but rather exacerbate death and suffering. This has led to a phenomenon he terms "transit migration," where thousands of migrants become stranded in Morocco for extended periods. These individuals often work and rent accommodations while saving for subsequent attempts to reach Europe. Some migrants establish lives in Morocco, with their children becoming integrated into the local working class, speaking the Moroccan colloquial tongue, Darija. Those with greater financial means are known to share apartments in the peripheral neighborhoods of Mesnana and Boukhalef, southwest of Tangier.