Mayotte "Refoundation" Law: Senate Approves Contested Migration Section

"The fight against illegal immigration must be a priority. It is a reality in the region, and you will not find a single Mahoran to dispute it," Overseas Minister Manuel Valls told senators.

For years, the overseas territory has been facing a massive influx of illegal immigrants, particularly from neighboring Comoros. A 2016 INSEE survey estimated that "nearly half of the inhabitants" of Mayotte were foreigners, and that half of them were in an irregular situation.

The government therefore incorporated numerous measures, often derogatory and specific to Mayotte, into the draft law for the "rebuilding" of the island. All of them were adopted by the upper house, dominated by a right-wing-centrist alliance, despite hostility from the entire left.

On the conditions of access to residence, the senators thus agreed to impose on foreigners the prior possession of a "long-stay visa" to obtain certain temporary residence cards, or to extend the period of regular residence required to obtain a "parent of a French child" resident card.

The centralization of paternity recognition in Mamoudzou and the increase in penalties for fraudulent recognition of paternity were also approved, with the aim of "reducing the attractiveness of Mayotte."

Even more irritating measures: the creation of "specially adapted places" for the detention of families accompanied by minors, and above all the unprecedented possibility of withdrawing residence permits from the parents of children considered to be a threat to public order, including when the parents' failure to act compromises the "morality" or "education" of their child.

This reform, although tightly regulated, has caused a stir among the left, who denounce the mechanism as "unprecedented" because it would penalize parents for their children's behavior. "We are gradually introducing into law, through the Mayotte loophole, provisions that are in total violation of fundamental principles," warned environmentalist Mélanie Vogel.

"We are simply seeking to make parents responsible for these delinquent minors," retorted co-rapporteur Agnès Canayer (Les Républicains group), highlighting the "exceptional situation" on the island.

This bill, which includes numerous other measures in the social, economic, land and institutional fields, will be put to a vote as a whole on Tuesday, May 27 in the Senate.