The historic bond between the United States and Morocco, spanning more than two centuries, has once again taken center stage amid the unfolding migration crisis at Ceuta. This week, Morocco renamed a 1,000-kilometer highway in the Western Sahara to honor former US President Donald Trump, reflecting Rabat’s deep appreciation for Washington’s unwavering support regarding the disputed territory.

The gesture came shortly after more than 70,000 individuals crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, resulting in at least 140 fatalities on both sides of the border and triggering a severe humanitarian emergency.

While Washington’s response to the crisis did not surprise observers familiar with the alliance, it sparked considerable unease in Spain—a key NATO ally hosting American forces at bases in Rota and Morón.

Despite Morocco’s non-NATO status, it remains one of Washington’s most vital military and intelligence partners in North Africa. This enduring relationship raises critical questions about how decades of strategic cooperation have evolved, the mutual benefits derived from it, and its impact on current geopolitical developments.

Trump labeled the events a “catastrophe” akin to “an invasion,” while the US State Department criticized Spain’s immigration policies. The White House condemned what it called “extreme left-wing globalist policies,” yet neither the administration nor the State Department questioned Morocco’s role, despite the surge of migrants originating from its territory.

The foundations of the US-Morocco relationship were laid long before the two nations shared modern diplomatic ties. In 1776, as the United States declared independence from the British Empire, Morocco was already an autonomous sultanate under the Alaouite dynasty, a rule that continues to this day.

Just 18 months after American independence, Sultan Mohammed III opened Moroccan ports to US ships, a move Rabat proudly cites as the first international recognition of the fledgling nation.

The US State Department, however, dates this milestone to June 23, 1786—the day the Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed in Marrakech. For the young American republic, this was far more than a diplomatic formality. With the British navy no longer protecting its vessels, US ships were vulnerable to raids by Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, and Tripolitan corsairs. The treaty guaranteed safe passage and access to Moroccan ports, while also fostering trade and bolstering America’s standing on the world stage.

“Morocco’s strategic location at the Mediterranean’s gateway, along with its connections to Europe, Africa, and the Islamic world, provided the United States with a crucial advantage in its quest for global recognition and commercial expansion,” explains Timothy W. Kneeland, professor of history and political science at Nazareth University in New York.

Renewed in 1836, the treaty remains in force to this day. “As Moroccans often point out, the 1786 treaty is the oldest active agreement in US diplomatic history,” notes Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace specializing in US foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa.

Although the treaty ensured continuity, it did not guarantee constant, close relations between the two countries. When Morocco was divided in 1912 into French and Spanish protectorates, Washington initially hesitated to recognize the new colonial order before doing so in 1917. Following Morocco’s independence in March 1956, the United States swiftly recognized the new sovereign state and opened its embassy in Rabat just three months later.

Security cooperation between the two nations predates Morocco’s independence. In 1950, while still under French protectorate rule, the United States secured agreements to develop and utilize several air bases in Morocco. A quarter-century later, Washington extended further support to its North African ally.

In November 1975, as Spain’s dictator Francisco Franco lay dying, Morocco’s King Hassan II organized the Green March, mobilizing 350,000 civilians to pressure Madrid into relinquishing control of Western Sahara, situated west of the Canary Islands. Spain eventually transferred administrative authority over the territory to Morocco and Mauritania.

While Washington publicly advocated for neutrality and a negotiated solution, declassified diplomatic records reveal a stance much closer to Rabat’s position. Henry Kissinger, then US Secretary of State, told Hassan II in 1974 that he would have acted similarly in his place. By January 1976, he acknowledged that the United States had placed “few obstacles” in Morocco’s path regarding the Sahara.

Months later, a diplomatic report described the US position as “essentially pro-Moroccan,” according to the US State Department’s Office of the Historian.

In 2004, the George W. Bush administration designated Morocco as a “Major Non-NATO Ally,” granting it preferential access to advanced military technology and defense cooperation. The kingdom hosts African Lion, the US Africa Command’s largest annual military exercise. Moroccan and American special forces train together, and the two nations co-chair the Africa group within the global coalition against the so-called Islamic State. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the United States accounted for 60% of Morocco’s major arms imports between 2021 and 2025, followed by Israel (24%) and France (10%).

Economically, the bilateral free trade agreement signed in 2006—the first of its kind between the US and an African nation—eliminated numerous trade barriers. By 2025, bilateral trade in goods reached $7.4 billion, nearly eight times the $927 million recorded in 2005, before the agreement took effect. While modest in scale for the US economy—where Morocco ranks as the 46th largest export market—the deal has significantly boosted trade flows.

Diplomatically, Morocco achieved its greatest victory in 2020 when, at the end of Donald Trump’s first term, the US formally recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara as part of the normalization agreement between Morocco and Israel. Washington has maintained this stance, advocating for Rabat’s autonomy proposal as the sole basis for resolving the conflict. “Morocco is the most successful participant in the Abraham Accords. Its normalization with Israel has endured despite the Gaza conflict and is now firmly established,” affirms researcher Yerkes.

The Ceuta crisis has exposed strains within the triangular relationship between the United States, Morocco, and Spain. The incident has underscored the strength of the US-Morocco alliance at a time when serious doubts persist about Spain’s relations with both its North African neighbor and its transatlantic partner within NATO.

Madrid serves as a critical military ally of Washington and relies heavily on Moroccan cooperation to manage its North African borders. Yet both alliances are now under intense pressure.

While Spain’s government attributed the mass influx into Ceuta to human trafficking networks and social media—and even thanked Morocco for its cooperation—Spanish experts, politicians, and media outlets accused Rabat of orchestrating or at least enabling the crisis.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, directed sharp criticism at Spain over its NATO spending disputes and veto of US operations from Rota and Morón against Iran. These tensions came to a head during the Ceuta crisis.

Washington stopped short of endorsing Morocco’s version of events but did not demand explanations from Rabat or echo accusations of a deliberate easing of border controls. Instead, Trump framed the incident as a consequence of Spain’s immigration policies, openly attacking the Sánchez government.

“I don’t believe Washington views the Ceuta events as a Moroccan initiative. The White House’s criticism was overwhelmingly directed at Spain and what it perceived as mismanagement of the border that triggered the crisis,” explains researcher Yerkes.

“This year, we celebrate 250 years of American history and an unbreakable friendship with Morocco, a bond forged on mutual trust and respect,” he stated, reaffirming Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara and expressing hope for continued cooperation in all fields “for the next 250 years.”