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France’s Interior Minister Puts Undocumented Population at About 700,000

The figure reflects an extrapolation from health-aid beneficiaries following opposition demands for transparency.

Overview

  • Laurent Nuñez gave the estimate during a Europe 1–CNews interview, saying it stems from extrapolating roughly 470,000 Aide médicale d’État beneficiaries.
  • The public number marks a shift from his LCI appearance two days earlier, when he declined to quantify and briefly cited a 200,000 to 300,000 range.
  • Rassemblement National leader Jordan Bardella had pressed Nuñez in a letter to provide a precise estimate, framing it as essential to public trust.
  • Nuñez distanced himself from charged terms such as “submersion migratoire” and said he would not draw a direct link between immigration status and delinquency.
  • He pointed to enforcement and border efforts, citing about 30,000 returns within Europe over the first six months of the year and the need for EU cooperation.