Harragas, sometimes spelled Haraga[1] (Harrag in the singular form) (from Algerian Arabic حراقة, ḥarrāga, ḥarrāg, "those who burn"[2][3]) are North African migrants who illegally immigrate to Europe or to European-controlled islands sometimes in makeshift boats.
[10][12][13][5] The Harraga are from the Maghreb, they are specifically Algerians, Moroccans, or Tunisians and are predominantly men between the ages of twenty and thirty five years old.
The earliest references to the phenomenon of irregular migration of undocumented North African migrants (Harraga) to Europe can be traced to the 1980s.
[18] On the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, Algerian, Tunisian, and Moroccan harragas typically hope to cross the Strait of Gibraltar in order to reach Spain.
[19] On the Atlantic coast of North Africa, Mauritanian and Senegalese harragas set off in hope of reaching the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands in small, flat-bottomed boats referred to in Spanish as "patera", or in rigid or inflatable rafts, (such as "Zodiac" rafts), or even paddle boats.