A-Infos (en) France, Le Plateforme - In the wake of xenophobic policies (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Following the bloody crackdown on foreigners perpetrated by ICE (U.S. 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and the referendum by our Swiss 
neighbors for a migration cap ("No Switzerland at 10 million"), the 
European Union is not to be outdone and is following suit. It is 
organizing the closure of Europe and taking a further step in violating 
the right to asylum and the international principle of non-refoulement.
Within the European Union, we are witnessing an unprecedented regression 
of the rights of migrants and exiles, and we are heading towards mass 
detention at Europe's external borders.

To enter Europe, one will have to "show one's papers" in the hotspots, 
that is to say, in the Regional Disembarkation Platforms, which are in 
reality centers for the detention and screening of immigrants.

The New Pact on Migration and Asylum of the European Union is an 
overhaul of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), comprised of nine 
regulations and one directive. Adopted in April 2024, it entered into 
force on June 11, 2026. It is a direct result of alliances between the 
right and far right, pushing for a security-focused approach that 
undermines the fundamental rights of exiles and asylum seekers.

The New Pact on Migration and Asylum: Foreign nationals will be checked, 
identified, and registered, and will be detained in holding areas for 
seven days. An initial sorting process will be carried out to separate 
asylum seekers from others. The latter will automatically fall under the 
common procedure known as "return," which is essentially "deportation."

As for asylum seekers, they will be held in holding areas or detained 
(for up to three months) while their applications are processed. The 
choice of host country will not be possible; asylum seekers will have to 
submit their application in the first EU country they entered (a remake 
of the so-called "Dublin Regulation"). Some countries will have the 
right to refuse to accept refugees, those whose right to protection has 
been recognized, through a financial compensation system misleadingly 
called a "solidarity mechanism."

In the event of an asylum refusal, the applicant is considered 
"disqualified," and a host of laws and regulations will facilitate swift 
deportation and restrict appeal options.

EU member states are also permitted to establish detention centers 
outside the EU to house those whose asylum applications have been rejected.

Towards Zealous Implementation by France
Several decrees amending the CESEDA (Code on the Entry and Residence of 
Foreigners and the Right of Asylum) were published in early June, and 
more will follow in order to implement this complex pact, rife with 
technical intricacies.

Echoing this legislative tightening, the crackdown on housing for 
foreigners is being accelerated by a ministerial circular dated May 26, 
2026. Faced with overcrowding in accommodation facilities, the aim is 
not to increase the housing stock to shelter everyone. In the name of 
"budgetary control," the circular recommends increasing the fluidity of 
turnover within the accommodation system, in other words, quickly 
evicting current residents to make way for the next group.

This will be achieved in partnership with the prefectures, which are 
being urged to expedite the processing of regularization applications 
"by increasing the level of vigilance and support provided to the 
processing of these cases at the prefecture, in order to improve the 
flow of available accommodation." In other words, to increase refusals 
of residency permits, deportation orders (OQTF), and expulsions in order 
to free up space.

Even for xenophobes, life isn't always easy.

Some legal experts are already questioning the feasibility of truly 
implementing this new European pact, given certain particularly 
convoluted provisions.

While Spain and even Italy have been forced, for economic reasons, to 
regularize the administrative status of a significant number of 
foreigners, in France, since January 2025, the Retailleau circular has 
restricted this possibility.

This circular has been widely condemned by human rights defenders, trade 
unions, and associations. Today, even employers, some of whose 
organizations had already expressed skepticism about the circular, are 
joining the outcry.

According to Le Monde, regularization through employment fell by 54% in 
the first nine months of 2025. The list of in-demand professions (by 
region) is highly fanciful and bears no resemblance to reality.

At a meeting on May 26 between labor unions (CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, 
CFTC), employers' organizations (Medef, CPME, U2P), the Minister of the 
Interior, Laurent Nuñez, and the Minister of Labor, Jean-Pierre 
Farandou, the Retailleau circular was unanimously rejected.

Unsurprisingly, the reasons for their opposition were not the same for 
everyone, but still! Employers, still clinging to their utilitarian 
views of foreign workers, are unhappy and are making their displeasure 
known, hence the Minister of the Interior's promise of a new circular. A 
promise that carries no real weight given the upcoming elections.

Latest news
Twelve organizations are challenging the implementing regulations of the 
European Pact on Migration before the Council of State:

ADA (Asylum Seeker Reception Center) - ADDE (Lawyers for the Defense of 
Foreigners' Rights) - Les Amoureux au ban public (Lovers in the Public 
Eye) - Anafé (National Association for Border Assistance for Foreigners) 
- Ardhis (Association for the Defense of LGBTQI+ Rights to Immigration 
and Residency) - Elena France (Association of Asylum Lawyers) - Fasti 
(Federation of Associations in Solidarity with All Immigrants) - Gisti 
(Immigrant Information and Support Group) - La Cimade - Human Rights 
League - French Lawyers' Union - French Magistrates' Union

https://plateformecl.org/dans-le-sillage-des-politiques-xenophobes/
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