France Faces Major Challenges in Immigration Expulsions and Ends UK Migrant Agreement

A recent report by Deputy Charles Rodwell highlights France's significant struggles with enforcing immigration expulsion policies amid a growing population of irregular migrants. The report, emphasized during a visit to the Centre de rétention administrative (CRA) in Olivet, points out that despite France having around 320,000 foreigners in an irregular situation, expulsion measures such as the obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) are largely ineffective. The Olivet detention center, the newest of 27 across the country opened in February 2024 under the CRA 3000 plan, currently holds only 75 men. This plan aims to increase detention capacity nationally from 1,992 places to 3,063 by 2029, underscoring the government's intent to strengthen its expulsion infrastructure. However, limited application of these measures questions their overall impact.

Concurrently, France has announced it will not renew the "one in, one out" bilateral migrant agreement with the United Kingdom beyond October 1. This agreement, launched in August 2025, allowed the UK to return migrants who crossed illegally via the English Channel to France in exchange for legal migration quotas to the UK. Since its inception, approximately 1,400 individuals — about 4% of Channel crossings — have been returned to France under this deal. Each return cost the UK an estimated £56,000, totaling around £78 million.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez emphasized the government's intention to end this arrangement, advocating instead for a broader EU-level agreement, citing that the unilateral burden on France is unsustainable. The UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has pushed to extend and even make the agreement permanent with an increased number of returns, but the French stance remains firm.

These developments reveal the complexities France faces in managing immigration expulsion effectively. While expanding detention capacity reflects governmental resolve, the challenges in enforcement and costly bilateral agreements indicate the need for comprehensive, multilateral solutions within the European framework to address migration more sustainably and equitably.