France removed 30,000 migrants in '08
French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux hailed as a success today the removal of close to 30,000 illegal migrants from France last year, but civil rights groups branded his policies inhumane.
Hortefeux, a close friend of President Nicolas Sarkozy, says his policies allow France to choose which migrants it hosts, but human rights campaigners say the reality is a repressive strategy designed to appeal to right-wing voters.
"Yes, I am proud of ensuring that the laws of my country are respected and applied," Hortefeux told a news conference when asked whether he was proud to have exceeded Sarkozy's controversial expulsions target.
Sarkozy, who as interior minister before he was president took a tough approach to security issues, had asked Hortefeux to ensure at least 26,000 illegal migrants were removed from mainland France in 2008.
Hortefeux said the figure achieved was 29,796, up 29 percent compared with 2007. Two thirds were expulsions while one third were "voluntary returns" in which migrants were persuaded to go home with a small amount of money to help them.
Rights activists say the 26,000 target was arbitrary and it put pressure on police, immigration officers and other state officials to use tougher and tougher tactics.
"From our point of view, the policies implemented have mostly contributed to reinforcing repressive measures," said nine organisations active in the field.
They recalled the torching by detainees of France's biggest detention centre for migrants awaiting expulsion, at Vincennes just outside Paris, on June 22 last year.
"A consequence of the obsession with the expulsions target, the revolt of the illegal migrants detained at Vincennes is the symbol of the daily misery inflicted by the state on tens of thousands of migrants," the civil rights groups said.
RESHUFFLE
They called for a change of course when Hortefeux leaves the immigration ministry. He is widely expected to take on a new portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle later this week. He has even been tipped as a possible prime minister in the future.
"With one eye fixed on the opinion polls and a direct line to the presidency, Brice Hortefeux can now continue his career. The challenge of migration, meanwhile, has not been met by France or by Europe," said France Terre d'Asile, which defends the rights of asylum seekers.
In what appeared to be a valedictory news conference as immigration minister, Hortefeux defended his record, saying his basic principles on immigration policy had been adopted by the European Union in the form of a pact signed in October.
He also recalled that he had travelled 22 times to Africa and had signed bilateral agreements with eight African countries which agreed to cooperate with France in combating illegal migration in return for support for development projects.
None of these arguments swayed human rights groups.
"The minister put serious pressure on African countries to sign deals under which they accept more easily the return of their nationals," said the joint statement from the nine groups.
"As for the famous European pact ... it contains no new orientation apart from the prospect of increasing funding to the security apparatus," it said.
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Charmaine Chetcuti
Jan 14th 2009, 07:33
Minister Brice Hortefeux for saint!
Denis Catania
Jan 14th 2009, 06:35
On Dec 5th 2008 Save Malta From Illegl Immigrants protested in front of the French Embassy in New York. We got recognition as a Marie-Laure Charrier head of the press and political office and three Embassy employees came out to greet us. She admitted Malta has the worst problem in all of Europe with illegal immigration. She accepted our petition and assured us it will go to the highest immigration office in France. I'm a Maltese living in the U.S.A. If our group was able to open eyes and ears. Why didn't the Prime Minister do the same??
Marlene Vella
Jan 14th 2009, 00:35
"eight African countries which agreed to cooperate with France in combating illegal migration in return for support for development projects."
None of you seem to notice the bit about the development projects or that these 8 eight countries are probably all French-speaking ex colonies.
Weird.
Joe Xuereb
Jan 13th 2009, 23:24
According to Joe Felice Pace, a criminal infiltrator with agenda can go to a country like France, his ex-coloniser. He is happy to return as long as France supports him there. Malta is no coloniser and cannot afford such nandouts so said criminal insists on staying. And Gonzi, and many Maltese citizens still, see nothing amiss in this situation. In the meantime - and I am truly worried about this - the quality of life of the Maltese people is spiralling down. Materially but more worryingly, emotionally. This is a situation so ridiculous it should never have happened. But it has. And it has to be addressed. Like in seriously. May I add.....many of these criminals feel hard done by and feel that by coming to Europe, they are only reclaiming 'what was taken from them' by their ex-colonisers. The colonisers eventually relinquished their colonies. Malta is a primary example of this. It served Europe and Britain well, But Malta is a decent country, with decent European traditions and a decent, hard-working people. So after independence, it did comparatively well. Its African counterparts, set free from colonialism, started killing each other aided and abetted by dictators. Draw your own conclusions.
louise vella
Jan 13th 2009, 22:38
Gonzi, can you speak up? All you need is guts.
Carmel Camilleri
Jan 13th 2009, 21:17
It seems it takes very little to impress the people on this site...
30,000 returned immigrants for a country as big as France with a population of 65 million is equivalent to 0.00046 expulsions for every French citizen.
Applying the same ratio to Malta and, inherently, the Maltese population, would be equivalent to not more than 186 expulsions for 2008. As a matter of fact, official Government figures speak of 254 illegal immigrants repatriated between January and November of last year.
Also worthy of note is that the French are counting voluntary repatriations in their statistic. Around 50 voluntary repatriations were taken up by illegal immigrants in Malta during 2008.
To these one can also add the 80 beneficiaries of international protection that the same Brice Hortefeaux has committed France to take from Malta under the EU's burden sharing mechanism, along with around 200 illigrants taken by the USA.
So in reality, in excess of 580 illegal immigrants were expelled or resettled last year alone. Using the same yardstick, the Maltese authorities have performed better than their French counterparts.
So well done to all concerned...
V.Micallef
Jan 13th 2009, 20:47
Can Mr Felice Pace be clearer in his statements and tell us exactly what he means so that we can decide whether what he says makes sense or not?
Kenneth Galea
Jan 13th 2009, 20:43
Pleased to hear that France decided to take the bull by its horns and take action for the sake of the national interest. 30,000 is indeed a large number and I am certain that most originated from Africa. What is wrong with this continent then???? Can't they rule with law, order and democracy????
Dr Gonzi together everything is possible. Could you please ask Sarkozy to help you find a way out of this immigration mess which you created in the first place. First Maroni, now France when is Malta's turn???? Could you answer me Gonzi or CMB??? When are you going to expel the economic migrants??? Can we have a date please?????
P Debono
Jan 13th 2009, 20:03
So whereas other countries are actually doing good on their electoral promises, our mangia-passeggia politicians choose to buy them food, clothes, computers, give them pocket money, shelter... All from the hard-earned wages of the honest Maltese worker who cannot keep up with the bills and mounting debts every single day.
salvu abela
Jan 13th 2009, 19:03
Please, Please,Please you must have missed the small print below which says that he is going to make space for the ones France is going to take from Malta ,after all that what burden sharing is,get rid of them from your country and help poor little Malta,Ha,Ha,Hai, the joke of the decade.
joe felice pace
Jan 13th 2009, 18:19
The most important sentence in the whole argument is that which states that France "had signed bilateral agreements with eight African countries which agreed to cooperate with France in combating illegal migration in return for support for development projects." What development projects is Malta expected to support in the countries from which illegal immigrants originate, especially those were civil war is rampant?
A large proportion of the countries accepting repatriation of illegal emigrants from France are ex-French colonies which have maintained ties with France.
Charles Busuttil
Jan 13th 2009, 18:17
If France can do it, why can't Malta? We are both in the EU.
louise vella
Jan 13th 2009, 18:07
If France, a huge country, is full up, how about Malta?
If France can do it, why not Malta?
Come on, Gonzi, all you need is guts.
Saviour Borg
Jan 13th 2009, 18:03
Most of the illegal immigrants entering France are North Africans. Malta have no problem repatriating these. Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Eygpt and Libya all cooperate in accepting back their co nationals. Malta's problems are coming from countries of the Horn of Africa where chaos rules. and where one finds no coperation from the goverment's concerned. Furthermore france have land frontiers where you can push back any immigrant trying to set foot inside your country.
I suggest we try and invent new proposals how one can push back a boatload of humans in the middle of the sea!!! !
lgalea
Jan 13th 2009, 17:47
And Malta?
Zilch. Nada. Zero.
Have you seen this Gonzipn?
T.gauci
Jan 13th 2009, 17:44
this is ridiculous, why can't GonziPN do the same ?
malcolm seychell;
Jan 13th 2009, 17:39
and our minister is happy every time he opens a new open center.