French Police Implement New System to Track Law-Abiding Foreign Residents

Dated November 20, 2024 and signed by Philippe Jos, interdepartmental director of the Loire-Atlantique national police, this service note details an experimental device. The stated objective: "to identify foreigners in regular situation who have committed disturbances to public order". A broad formulation that is in line with the policy led by the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, since his taking office on September 21, 2024. The newspaper Presse Océan had already revealed, in January last year, control operations specifically targeting foreigners in an irregular situation on the streets of the city.

This new procedure concerns "all the intercepting services". It is materialized by a shuttle form, a form with an unequivocal title: "procedure for refusing, not renewing or withdrawing a French residence permit". In other words, it is no longer just a matter of tracking down "undocumented immigrants", but of placing under surveillance those who have the right to reside on the territory.

This administrative document, a veritable administrative identity card, lists a series of information: full identity, nationality, address, type of residence permit held (temporary card, multi-year card, resident card, long-stay visa or receipt) and expiration date. A section is devoted to "judicial facts". It records, in addition to any previous convictions, the date of the person’s placement in police custody, the reason for their arrest and the outcome given by the justice system. A simple police custody, without even a conviction, is enough for the administrative guillotine to potentially fall.