Positive Acceptance of Morocco against Postitory Retirement Refugees 2011

Abstract

Morocco is a country in the North African region with a strategic geographical location for migration routes to Europe. Morocco borders Spain directly, causing thousands of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to pass through Morocco as a transit country to get to Europe as a major destination. Previously, Morocco itself was a large migrant sending country with a total Moroccan diaspora abroad reaching almost 10% of the total population. The dynamics of Morocco as a sending, transit and now a recipient country for refugees makes Morocco have a policy dynamic that is quite interesting to study. Starting with Law 02-03 which made Morocco the first Arab country to have regulations on refugees, ratification of the 2011 constitution, until the enactment of the National Policy on Immigration and Asylum (NPIA) in 2013 made Morocco continue to get praise from various parties for its quite friendly regulations against these refugees, despite various diplomatic pressures that Morocco has received from other countries such as Spain and Greece. Morocco then offers permanent residency for refugees who fulfill the procedure. In discussing the motives behind Morocco's positive response, Jacobsen's concept of influencing factors influencing Jacobsen's explanations explains 4 variable factors: international relations, national security considerations, the competitiveness of local communities, and bureaucratic decisions.