France Ramps Up Deportations as Asylum Approvals Hit Record High

According to the Minister of the Interior, "deportations have increased by 14%", estimating that "we still need to do better". "At the same time, the number of asylum applications accepted has never been so high". For Christophe Castaner, there is no question of introducing a quota on asylum applications, considering that priority should be given to the quality of immigrants.

In a statement to the "Journal du Dimanche", Castaner plans to discuss the issue in the context of "other local immigration methods", avoiding specifying whether it is family, student or economic immigration. "Let’s also make sure that the debate on immigration does not focus only on the number of immigrants: let’s also talk about the quality of integration, that’s a priority," he insisted.

For his part, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe does not see the need for a new immigration law, nor for quotas, as this is "contrary to [our] international commitments and to [his] personal ethics," writes "Le Monde" in its edition today.

In his speech to the National Assembly, the French Prime Minister had announced that the Government would hold "an annual debate in Parliament" on asylum and immigration policy. This statement echoes that of President Emmanuel Macron, who had also raised the idea of annual migration "targets" to be set by Parliament.