Moroccan Honor Student Faces Deportation, Sparks Protest in Saint-Denis

They all demand papers for Ouahiba M’Barki, 19, a senior high school student at Lycée Paul-Éluard who, since January 2022, has been the subject of an expulsion procedure to Morocco. "We want her to be able to stay in France and in peace," supports Julie Morisset, philosophy teacher of this senior student, who describes a young girl "brilliant, with excellent academic results and perfectly integrated".

Ouahiba left Morocco with her uncle and parents for France in April 2019. She was then 16 years old. After a stint at the Val-d’Oise high school, she continues her studies at Paul Éluard in Saint-Denis. In April 2021, she filed an application for a residence permit, but was met with a refusal from the prefect of Val-d’Oise "who considers that she has no family ties in France," reports Le Parisien. Since January 2022, she has been the subject of an expulsion procedure.

Ouahiba filed a gracious appeal which proved unsuccessful. She then decides to initiate proceedings with the administrative court of Cergy. New failure. The court upholds the decision of the State representative in November last year. The student is discouraged: "I came here to realize my dream, to become a surgeon," says Ouahiba. "I just want to study."

After appealing the decision of the administrative court of Cergy, the young girl intends to file a new application for a residence permit, this time with the Seine-Saint-Denis prefecture. "The procedures are long and anxiety-provoking," regrets Julie Morisset, also a member of the Réseau éducation sans frontières, an association that helps foreign students in their administrative procedures. "In these conditions, we cannot fully focus on our studies."