Overview

• France’s Constitutional Council struck down the provision extending administrative detention in CRA centers from 90 to 210 days for dangerous foreigners and preserved fingerprinting and photographing rules.
• The court held that detention of such length without evidence of an ongoing threat violates individual liberty and exceeds the goal of combating irregular immigration.
• The contested law, adopted on July 9, would have applied 210-day detention to serious offenders and high-recidivism cases beyond terrorism after a 2024 high-profile murder.
• Bruno Retailleau announced he will request a Conseil d’État opinion and draft a new bill to extend detention within constitutional bounds.
• The ruling highlights the Constitutional Council’s ongoing role in checking security-focused immigration laws and follows a similar censure of France’s 2024 immigration reforms.