Officials have made Nador uninhabitable for migrants

NPR | By Ari Shapiro,

Miguel Macias, Ayen Bior, Matt Ozug, Sarah Handel, RICCI SHRYOCK

Published November 17, 2022 at 5:31 PM AST

The view into Spain from Mount Gourougou, Morocco on October 12. Men and women attempting to cross the border from Morocco into Spain often spend days and sometimes weeks hiding from authorities on the mountain before they take their chance.

Some people spend years trying to get to Nador, Morocco — a city in the northeast of the country, bordering the Spanish enclave city of Melilla.

It is Europe's southernmost border, and also a gateway for migrants in search of better opportunities.

Border guards line a four-tiered, 20-foot fence that stretches miles along the border. Just beyond are the hills of Nador, where the migrants live. They wait there for weeks, sometimes months, for the safest time to jump over the fence.

Officials have made the city of Nador uninhabitable for migrants, who are mostly Black. Shopkeepers have been pressured to not sell them goods, hotel owners who have succumbed to pressure from Moroccan police don't rent them rooms.

Police tactics gained renewed criticism after dozens of people were killed trying to jump the fence in June.

Migrating people and their allies describe detestable and racist treatment from Moroccan police. They also speak of their dreams of crossing the border and finding jobs to support their families.

Listen to our full report by clicking or tapping the play button above.

Mallika Seshadri contributed to this report. contributed to this story

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Ari Shapiro

Ari Shapiro has been one of the hosts of All Things Considered, NPR's flagship afternoon newsmagazine, since 2015. He has reported from above the Arctic Circle and aboard Air Force One. He has covered wars in Iraq, Ukraine, and Israel, and he has filed stories from dozens of countries and most of the 50 states. His debut memoir, The Best Strangers In the World, was an instant New York Times bestseller. He is also a frequent guest singer with the "little orchestra" Pink Martini, and he regularly tours the country as a cabaret artist with the actor Alan Cumming.

Miguel Macias

Miguel Macias is an audio producer and reporter based in Spain. Prior to returning to his home country in 2023, Macias spent more than two decades living and working in the U.S. Most recently Macias was a Senior Producer at NPR's All Things Considered, in Washington, D.C., where he worked in a number of capacities, such as producing the award-winning series Climate, migration and the far right.

Ayen Bior

Ayen Deng Bior is a producer at NPR's flagship evening news program, All Things Considered. She helps shape the sound of the daily shows by contributing story ideas, writing scripts and cutting tape. Her work at NPR has taken her to Warsaw, Poland, where she heard from refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine. She has spoken to people in Saint-Louis, Senegal, who are grappling with rising seas. Before NPR, Bior wore many hats at the Voice of America's English to Africa service where she worked in radio, television and digital. Bior began her career reporting on the revolution in Sudan, the developing state of affairs in South Sudan and the experiences of women behind the headlines in both countries. In her spare time, Bior loves to kayak, read and bird watch.

Matt Ozug

Sarah Handel

RICCI SHRYOCK