Tunisia: Moroccans turned back, consulate cites illegal migration

Tunisia: Moroccans turned back, consulate cites irregular migration

Six Moroccans were intercepted on arrival at Tunis‑Carthage airport on 3 October 2026. Their passports were confiscated and they were refused entry without any official written reason. According to their account, a security officer merely informed them verbally of suspicions of irregular migration, providing no evidence, and their age apparently fuelled these doubts.

The travellers say they were held from 6 am until 23:05 in a cold room, unable to get the air‑conditioning turned off. They had to buy a return ticket for 800 dirhams to leave the same evening, thereby losing their original ticket scheduled for 10 October and the hotel expenses they had already incurred.

From the Moroccan Consulate General in Tunis, any suggestion of discriminatory treatment is rejected. The diplomatic mission describes these refusals of entry as isolated cases falling within the sovereign right of the Tunisian authorities, adding that travel by Moroccans to Tunisia generally proceeds without difficulty.

The consular source explains that airport authorities refuse entry when they suspect an attempt at irregular migration or doubts about the true purpose of the stay. It notes that these cases involve young men arriving during the peak period for irregular migration, which automatically prompts questioning by border control.

According to the consulate, some travellers themselves heighten suspicions by presenting bookings in areas known as departure points for smuggling networks, lacking tourist infrastructure, while travelling with light luggage incompatible with a normal stay. The source adds that such complaints recur every year at the same time, pointing out the inconsistency of young people claiming to be on a beach holiday in cool regions that Tunisians themselves avoid at that time of year. Allegations of selective treatment are dismissed as “baseless”, attributed to a controversy stirred by young people whose attempt to reach Europe via Tunisia has reportedly failed.

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