France has decided to tighten the screws on migrants who entered its territory illegally and who are subject to an OQTF (Obligation to Leave French Territory). While the new Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, wants rapid results, a television team took an interest in the practices in place.
During the program “Cash Investigation”, the journalists who worked for this report discovered that France was secretly sending back more and more migrants on private planes. The latter are deposited in other European countries, where they arrived in particular. Operations kept secret, which are extremely costly to taxpayers.
France uses jets to repatriate illegal migrants
On this subject, the French authorities explained that they were only respecting the Dublin agreements (known as Dublin 3). These agreements signed between all European countries stipulate that it is the countries which have received these irregular migrants which must ensure their reception and management. This is why Paris does not hesitate to send jets back to Italy or even Austria.
However, it turns out that the customs officers who deal with these illegal migrants and the return flights themselves do not really know why they are doing this. When questioned, a police officer simply explained that he was only implementing orders, later adding that it was possible that these people would be returned under the same Dublin agreements previously mentioned.
The question of OQTF, a sensitive subject
In France, the subject of illegal immigration has become a real social issue, with more and more citizens being fervent supporters of a tougher line and policy against the OQTF in particular. The latter accuse the executive of not doing enough to ensure that these expulsions decided by the courts are respected, with an execution rate of around 16.4% in 2023.
