A-Infos (en) France, OCL CA #359 - Without Borders 359 (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

* A human chain of solidarity with migrants in Bayonne
* Another assessment of March 14th
* The European asylum-immigration pact is progressing
* A misleading increase in arrests of undocumented immigrants
* But much stronger pressure from prefects
* First assessment of 2026 in the Mediterranean
* Strike by undocumented employees of a Parisian hair salon
* Germany reduces reception to the bare minimum
* News from the northern coast
A human chain of solidarity with migrants in Bayonne
This March 14th, as every year, the migrant solidarity federation, 
Etorkinekin Diakité, supported by several political, union, and 
community groups in the Northern Basque Country, participated in the 
call launched in mainland France by the Solidarity March. This year, 
between two rain showers, a procession of approximately 200 
demonstrators formed a human chain to occupy two bridges over the Nive 
(a tributary of the Adour that flows through the city) and the streets 
connecting them. This symbolic action expressed the desire to "build 
bridges, not walls."
In addition to opposing racism and repression, demanding equal rights 
for all, and calling for solidarity with exiles, this year also included 
a call to fight against the far right and fascism. The anti-fascist 
slogan seems to resonate significantly with young people; their numbers 
were slightly higher than last year.

Source: Local activist

Other assessment of March 14th: This year, the "International Day 
Against Racism and Fascism" took place the day before the first round of 
municipal elections. Here is a quick summary from the Solidarity March: 
demonstrations in around a hundred cities. In Paris, 100,000 people 
rallied behind groups supporting undocumented immigrants and 
unaccompanied minors in their struggle, families of victims of police 
violence, groups fighting against Islamophobia, and neighborhood groups 
organizing against fascists! In Lyon, 12,000 people showed that we are 
far more numerous than the fascists, who numbered only 3,000 when they 
marched to pay tribute to a Nazi a few weeks ago. In Marseille, nearly 
10,000 people demonstrated as the National Rally (RN) threatens to 
achieve a significant result in the elections. 5,000 in Toulouse, 4,000 
in Rennes and Nantes, 3,000 in Montpellier and Bordeaux, 1,500 in 
Besançon, Nantes, Rouen, and Lille, and hundreds in Bayonne, Vannes, 
Morlaix, Nîmes, and Gap. Fascism was therefore in vogue and served the 
LFI (France Unbowed) rhetoric well, calling for a united front against 
the brown plague. One might question this anti-fascist tactic that leads 
to the ballot box. The strength of a struggle like that of undocumented 
immigrants, championed by the Solidarity March, lies in its permanence 
and independence from any electoral calendar. But it must be noted, at 
least in Lille, that a number of activists also support La France 
Insoumise. The day of March 21st will be of the same ilk. Let's eagerly 
await the end of the elections and not delude ourselves about the social 
democracy that Mélenchon is trying to rebrand.

Source: Solidarity March

The European asylum and immigration pact is progressing. We have already 
discussed this in these pages. This European legislation - decided in 
2024 and due to be implemented in a few months - consists of stricter 
conditions for receiving migrants. Led by the European Commission, the 
proposed law is now before the Members of the European Parliament and 
was recently approved by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil 
Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. The political parties behind it 
are: the EPP (European People's Party), which unites the European right 
wing, the conservatives (allied for this purpose), and all the far-right 
groups, including the Patriots (which includes the National Rally). The 
text has even been toughened! As a reminder, it includes, among other 
things: increased deportation rates, which currently stand at between 20 
and 30%; the possibility of sending migrants to "return platforms," 
meaning detention centers in non-EU countries; the possibility of 
detaining people for up to 24 months who refuse to leave the EU; and 
entry bans to the EU of up to 10 years. For comparison, and according to 
the Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice, the European Union is 
"quietly establishing a deportation framework similar to that of ICE - 
the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement service." Several governments 
are already preparing to organize deportations to third countries such 
as Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece, and the Netherlands. The latter 
intends to open "return centers" in Uganda. Italy has already 
experimented with this in Albania, with 90 people currently deported 
from Italy.

Source: Le Monde

A Misleading Rise in Arrests of Undocumented Immigrants
As we discussed in the previous section, the 2025 immigration figures 
have been released, revealing a sharp increase in arrests of 
undocumented immigrants, with nearly 200,000 people apprehended. 
However, this rise is the result of a change in border procedures. In a 
ruling dated February 2, 2024, the Council of State overturned a 
significant portion of the code governing the entry and residence of 
foreigners, which had allowed authorities to expedite the refusal of 
entry to foreigners found without a residence permit upon arrival in the 
country. Consequently, the pushbacks that were common practice at the 
Franco-Italian border near Menton are no longer legal and have become 
apprehensions followed by administrative detention. This change has also 
had consequences for the rise in forced removal figures: +21% in 2025, 
including a 63% increase to an EU country like Italy, while removals to 
non-EU countries decreased by 5.3%.

Source: Le Monde

But much greater pressure from prefects
Also in the 2025 report, even though removals outside the EU have 
decreased, police pressure against foreigners has increased 
significantly. This is a consequence of the Darmanin-Retailleau policy, 
with its circular to prefects emphasizing the focus on quotas (see 
previous sections). Across France, examples of police raids are 
multiplying. In Calais, the Human Rights Observers (HRO) association has 
noted an increase in arrests at the train station, bus stops, and near 
food distribution points. In Nantes, at the beginning of 2025, 80 police 
officers combed the city center, particularly workplaces such as 
fast-food kitchens, to arrest undocumented immigrants. In Marseille, the 
same thing happened: there was a sharp increase in checks at workplaces 
like snack bars or in front of DIY stores where foreigners look for day 
labor. Algerians were particularly targeted: in 2025, more than 51,000 
of them without residency permits were apprehended, representing a 51.5% 
increase. During the same period, their forced removals fell by 64%. No 
problem, as long as the impression of expulsion and firmness is 
maintained to satisfy political ambitions.

Source: Le Monde

First 2026 assessment in the Mediterranean
It is conducted by the IOM and Frontex. Since January, there has been a 
sharp increase in deaths in the Mediterranean: more than 650 drownings 
compared to 287 last year. Many victims were discovered on the Canary 
Islands route from West African countries because the sea route is long 
(over 1,500 km) and the weather conditions have been particularly 
atrocious. Alongside these tragedies, the Canary Islands route is being 
used less and less, with an 83% drop in arrivals (1,200 people) on the 
island. The Central European route between Libya and Italy remains the 
busiest, with 3,400 arrivals (50% fewer than the previous year). Frontex 
also records Channel crossings: 3,900 crossings, 12% fewer than last 
year during the same period. In total, there were reportedly 12,000 
illegal border crossings, half as many as last year, but among the 
causes, the poor winter weather must once again be mentioned. The three 
most common nationalities encountered were Afghans, Bangladeshis, and 
Algerians.

Source: Infomigrants

Occupation of the hair salon at 65 Boulevard de Strasbourg (Paris) by 
employees and the CGT union
Strike by undocumented employees of a Parisian hair salon
This is a hair and nail salon in the 10th arrondissement that exploits 
its employees, who are mostly undocumented and from sub-Saharan Africa. 
They hadn't been paid for four to six months, which triggered the 
strike. But there are other, more long-standing causes and practices, 
such as the lack of paid leave for employees, the absence of seniority 
bonuses, and the failure to respect the pay scale of the "beauty" 
collective agreement. Adding insult to injury, the boss demanded EUR250 
in cash each month to cover expenses related to future regularization, 
all on top of a salary of EUR900. Enraged, the fifteen or so employees 
went on strike in early March, occupying the premises. The CGT union 
supports the struggle. The strikers are demanding payment of what they 
are owed, as well as overtime pay. They are also requesting 
regularization from the prefecture. Negotiations are underway. Behind 
this struggle lies the illustration of the daily reality faced by 
thousands of undocumented workers or those with short-term residency 
permits who must fight to renew them, notably by presenting pay slips.
Behind this struggle lies the illustration of the daily reality for 
thousands of undocumented workers or those with short-term residence 
permits who must fight to renew them, notably by presenting pay slips. 
This system leads to economic subjugation and extortion.

Source: Infomigrants

Germany reduces reception to the bare minimum
Gone are the days when Germany welcomed more migrants than other 
European countries, particularly after the Syrian civil war in 2011. 
With the economic crisis taking hold and the far right gaining ground, 
legal avenues for immigration are drastically reduced. In particular, 
resettlement and humanitarian admission programs coordinated by the 
United Nations have been suspended. This system, managed by the UNHCR, 
aims to meet the needs of refugees who cannot remain in their countries 
of origin. In 2021, Germany admitted 32,000 people on humanitarian 
grounds; In subsequent years, the number of resettlements was halved 
until 2025, when only 1,400 people were resettled under this program. 
This trend mirrors the global pattern: in the first half of 2025, only 
28,600 people were transferred to countries willing to accept them, a 
decrease of approximately two-thirds compared to the same period the 
previous year. According to UNHCR estimates in January, nearly 3 million 
refugees worldwide currently need resettlement, meaning that only one in 
100 people accesses these programs. In fact, since 2022, the global 
waiting list has almost doubled. Finally, the German government, led by 
the SPD and conservatives, has suspended family reunification for those 
who do not have refugee status. However, for the past decade, hundreds 
of thousands of Syrians have not had refugee status but rather 
"subsidiary protection." This is further evidence that the country is 
closing its doors.

Source: Infomigrants

News from the northern coast
In mid-March, over 600 migrants including families were evicted from 
land near the Calais hospital in the so-called "Virval" camp. The 
majority are Sudanese nationals. This is the fifth eviction since the 
end of November 2025! It should be noted that this is not a single, 
contiguous camp, but rather one spread across several plots of land 
around the hospital. Once the eviction was completed, the site was 
reinforced with rocks, but this has not necessarily had a deterrent 
effect. As usual, the evicted people's "rights" are not respected: no 
prior notification is given which also prevents legal recourse the 
seized personal belongings are not accurately inventoried, and there is 
no clear information on how to retrieve them. Some people accept places 
in CAES (reception and assessment centers), but these are not permanent, 
and many refuse to apply for asylum because their hope remains to reach 
England. For 2025 alone, the Human Rights Observers association counted 
at least 540 expulsions and at least 3,792 people expelled from the 
Calais area. Since 2016 and the destruction of the large "Jungle" camp, 
the prefecture has pursued a policy of zero permanent settlements. 
Elsewhere along the coast, other camps exist, such as the one in 
Loon-Plage near Dunkirk, where two migrants have died. Borders continue 
to kill.

Sources: Voix du Nord / mediaPart blog of Calais associations

http://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4696
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