French Justice Minister Challenges Claims on Foreign Inmates, Defends Visa Restrictions

The presidential candidates Valérie Pécresse, Eric Ciotti, Eric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen are making immigration their main campaign theme for the presidential election and are also claiming that there are 25% of foreigners in French prisons. "There are no statistics that are kept on the matter. [...] For me, immigration is a problem that needs to be seen in a broad way, and not just through the lens of delinquency," responds the Minister of Justice in an interview on LCI. Eric Dupond-Moretti also recalls that there are also many foreigners who have contributed to the wealth of France.

"Yes, there are foreigners in our prisons. Yes, we sometimes have trouble sending them back home," he continues. The minister was keen to recall that the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, has launched "a great initiative" and "did not wait for the ready-made solutions proposed by one and the other." This "great initiative" is the 50% reduction in the granting of visas for Moroccans and Algerians and 30% for Tunisians.

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Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, three Maghreb countries "are not playing the game enough" to recognize their nationals expelled by France. "We tell them as long as you do not take back your compatriots, we do not accept your compatriots," the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, summarized at the end of September on BFM.