He has made it one of his priorities since his arrival at the Ministry of the Interior. Yesterday Bruno Retailleau brought together 21 prefects from the departments most affected by the distancing measures. And he hammered home to them the need to reduce immigration, including through circulars… That is to say without the approval of Parliament. A very political position.
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New Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau had set the tone when he arrived at the Ministry of the Interior: “ take all means » to do “ reduce immigration to France “. Since taking office, he has multiplied declarations and announcements to this effect, declaring for example his desire “to “use (his)[son] regulatory power to go to the limits of what we can do » to reduce illegal immigration.
This meeting at Place Beauvau is part of the implementation of the system. The minister also announced as soon as he took office an upcoming meeting of “ ten prefects from the departments where there is the most migratory disorder to ask them to expel more, regularize less ”, and in order to question them about possible “ holes in the racket “.
Ultimately, it was the prefects of the 21 departments most concerned by illegal immigration issues who gathered around the minister.
Bruno Retailleau intends to closely monitor the action of the prefects regarding immigration. They will have to update their OQTF, expulsion, placement in detention center and regularization tables very regularly, specifies Aurélien Devernoixfrom the political service.
Objective: toughen migration policy with the means currently available to the Minister of the Interior and in particular the Asylum Immigration law promulgated on January 26. On paper, this makes it possible to facilitate removal measures and to more strictly condition regularizations. According to the Cimadethis is one of the laws “ the most repressive of the last forty years » in this matter.
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Except that the prefects need clear instructions, via circulars… particularly on regularizations where the one in force dates from 2012. Bruno Retailleau promised a new text quickly. But nothing says that the efficiency will be better.
The prefectures’ room for maneuver in matters of expulsion
In France, in the majority of cases, it is up to the prefecture to pronounce, notify and execute removal measures. We often talk about the OQTF, the Obligation to leave the territory, but it is not the only procedure provided for by law. While awaiting expulsion: it is also up to the prefecture to decide whether the person remains free to move or whether they must be placed in detention.
The prefect does not, however, have all the powers: if a national does not have a travel document, he needs a pass and that is up to the consulate of the sending country to decide whether to issue it or No. Then, the eviction can be stopped or canceled by the judiciary if it considers that it is not legal. The judge can always order the Prefecture to re-examine a situation and issue a residence permit to someone who had been notified of a removal order.
It then remains to respect court decisions. Something that is not always done, according to the Cimade association which frequently notes irregularities in the French administration. Since January 2024, it is the Asylum and immigration law which establishes who can be expelled and how. The Ministry of the Interior, unless there is a new law, can only give instructions to the prefects – via circulars – to request strict application of the text.
“ These are gesticulations », scathes the socialist senator Corinne Narrassiguin for whom “ the current circular is exactly that set out in the Asylum Immigration law, voted by Bruno Retailleau », she recalls, before worrying about respect for the rule of law, recently called into question by the minister.
Satisfaction on the other hand at the National Rally, which once again sees in the resident of Place Beauvau a suitable ally to advance its ideas. “When we listen to Bruno Retailleau, we have the impression that he is a spokesperson for the RN,” enthuses Lepéniste MP Laure Lavalette, quoted by Agence France Press this Wednesday.
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