Overview

• The two-day operation on June 18–19 deployed roughly 4,000 gendarmes, police, customs agents and Sentinelle troops across train stations, metros and buses.
• Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the action aimed to send a firm message that undocumented migrants are not welcome in France.
• Retailleau reported about 47,000 interpellations of undocumented migrants since the start of the year.
• Unions such as CGT, Solidaires and FSU as well as the MRAP denounced the raids as xenophobic targeting of the most vulnerable.
• Opponents argue the sweep bolsters Retailleau’s political standing and moves France’s policy further toward far-right immigration priorities.