Edouard Philippe Vows to Close Immigration Routes to Mayotte

Overview

• During a two-day visit on Friday and Saturday, Philippe pledged to suspend new asylum registrations in Mayotte, suspend jus soli for several years and impose a moratorium on immigration routes including family reunification.
• He proposed building a French 'centre de retour' in East Africa to speed removals but acknowledged no bilateral agreements have been opened and that some steps would need new laws or constitutional change.
• Philippe toured the Pamandzi detention centre and the Tsoundzou 2 camp to illustrate what he called local saturation of services such as schools, water and health care.
• His announcements provoked quick political pushback, with Jean‑Luc Mélenchon calling the plans unrealistic and other critics warning of humanitarian and international‑law risks.
• The proposals build on a 2025 tightening of Mayotte's jus soli and follow the EU's June 2026 return directive, and they set up a legal and diplomatic test that the government will address during a planned follow-up visit by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.