In France, foreign persons to whom the authority does not recognize the right to reside in the territory may be locked up in CRAs, Administrative Detention Centers, for a maximum period of 90 days, before possible return to their country of residence. origin or to a third country. The new Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, wants to extend this period to 210 days. A measure that is controversial.
Every 10 to 15 minutes, a plane takes off, skimming the deserted courtyard of the Mesnil-Amelot detention center. The runways of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport are just a stone’s throw away. In the vast majority of cases, expulsions from the territory are not effective and the associations, many to denounce these detentionsfurther believe that extending the retention period would not change anything.
Within the CRA, people in detention situations, detainees, hang out in front of the open doors of their cells. “ We’re struggling, there’s no TV. All day long, we look at each other. We play cards from time to time… There’s a lot of noise during the day.” deplores a small group.
Lack of activity and anxiety about deportation can exacerbate tensions between detainees.
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LFI MP Gabrielle Cathala makes a surprise visit to the CRA. “ The toilets smell very strongly of urine and some are very dirty, she laments. Plus, it’s raining so most of the premises are soaked to the ground. »
The MP enters into dialogue with detainees. They express their discomfort. And the dismay that not knowing when they will be able to leave the detention center plunges them into. “ When we tell you that we’re going to send you back to your country, it’s not going to be easy for you », testifies a young Guinean, in France for six years.
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Back and forth in CRA
In 2023, only a third of those detained at Mesnil-Amelot were finally sent back to their country. Like the other two thirds, Mohamad, originally from Sudan, risks spending several weeks locked up in the CRA, then being put back on the street. The young man, without papers, cannot be deported to his country since it is at war.
“ I was stopped by chance on the street. I was tried and brought here. They told me that I had to stay 26 days, but after that, I don’t know if they are going to extend my detention or if they are going to let me out.” confides Mohamad.
Next to him, a fifty-year-old, his leg in a splint, alerts the elected official of his situation. For several years, the life of this Ivorian has alternated between stays in detention and periods of house arrest. In January, February and until April he was already detained. “ I was released on April 24. From April 25, I had to sign at the police station at 10 a.m. every day. I signed until September 5th. And they put me here. The prefect said it was because he didn’t have confidence. » The man is not deported, according to him, because he does not have documents. Hence this coming and going at the CRA.
After 4 hours, the MP ends her visit with the feeling of leaving a confinement machine. A blocked machine.
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This report was produced by following the LFI MP, Gabrielle Cathala, during a surprise visit to the CRA of Mesnil-Amelot, accompanying an elected official being the only way for a journalist to have access to this place.