Morocco has deported 80 sub-Saharan immigrants to their respective countries following clashes with a group of young Moroccans.

Tangier’s Public Prosecutor Office said that the migrants, whose nationalities have not been revealed, were deported after they were arrested for fighting with residents of the city’s Masnana neighborhood, according to Anadolu Press Agency

The official explained that security forces intervened after they were informed about clashes between the residents of the neighborhood and the sub-Saharan immigrants, without giving details of the clashes, the names of the immigrants and the exact date of their deportation.

This is not the first time the residents of the neighborhood and the immigrants have clashed. Two days before hand, a physical altercation broke out between a group of sub-Saharan and members of a Moroccan family, said the news agency.

Official statistics issued in 2014 estimated that the number of illegal immigrants in Morocco was around 40,000.

At the end of 2016, Morocco launched the second phase of the regularization of the status of illegal immigrants in the country. The approach is a progressive one, aimed at bringing about economic and social integration of the high-risk communities, most of them from sub-Saharan countries.

During the King’s tours of sub-Saharan African countries, various heads of state lauded Morocco’s approach to legalizing migrants, viewing it as in keeping with Morocco’s reputation for generosity and fairness.The King himself acknowledged migrants as hard working people who respect “Moroccan values and sanctities.”

The first phase of the operation, which was launched since 2013, has allowed the regularization of about 25,000 migrants.