Tunisia has announced the return of more than 26,000 irregular migrants since 2022
Authorities have announced the return of 26,308 irregular migrants to their countries of origin since 2022, through a voluntary return and reintegration mechanism implemented in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration. The announcement was made following a meeting of Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Ali Nafti, at the Ministry's headquarters, with the head of the mission of the International Organization for New Migration, Marise Habib.
The ministry explained that the mechanism has enabled the voluntary return of about 6,355 irregular migrants to be organized from 1 January 2026, increasing the cumulative total number of beneficiaries since the program launched in 2022. Added to these statistics is the number of migrants who have left the country via regular commercial flights, amid official emphasis on the need to speed up coordination of operations and ensure sustainable integration programmes for beneficiaries within their home countries.
During the meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Ali Naftali reaffirmed the country's refusal to be a place of residence or transit for migrants, calling for the adoption of a comprehensive approach based on shared responsibility, respect for state sovereignty, human rights and combating trafficking networks. The Minister stressed the need to intensify international cooperation to address the root causes of irregular migration and to open pathways for regular migration that support regional security.
The country faces continued European pressure to tighten controls on its coasts and prevent migration boats from leaving. In September 2023, the European Commission allocated 127 million euros in aid under a memorandum of understanding that includes curbing migration flows. In the absence of a comprehensive official statistics on the number of immigrants, the head of the Immigration Committee of the Ministry of Interior, Khalid Grade, had stated in January 2025 that there are about 20,000 immigrants in the areas of Aamir and Jabinyan.