Laurent Wauquiez causes an uproar by providing to “lock up” the “dangerous foreigners under OQTF” in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon | EUROtoday

In the marketing campaign for the presidency of the Republicans (LR), the chief of the best -wing deputies, Laurent Wauquiez, proposed, Tuesday, April 8, “That dangerous foreigners under OQTF [obligation de quitter le territoire],, are locked in a retention center in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, outside France ”in an interview with Jdnewscausing a political outcry.

The boss of the deputies of the right republican group, who denounces the fact that the administrative retention of foreigners under OQTF is limited to eighty days-except in the event of a terrorist offense-wishes to put pressure on these foreigners so that they agree to leave in their country. “They would have a single different: both go to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, or go house”explains Mr. Wauquiez, adding that these individuals would be blocked at customs if they returned in France, because this overseas territory located off the coast of Canada is not part of the Schengen area.

It additionally appears to rely on the local weather of this French archipelago, situated some 4,000 kilometers from the metropolis and which has slightly below 6,000 inhabitants, to encourage them to go away for his or her nation of origin. “It is 5 degrees on average during the year, a hundred and forty-six days of rain and snow. I think that quickly it will lead everyone to think ”declares the deputy of Haute-Loire. The former president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes area additionally pleads in order that this distance of distance is accompanied “From a real lengthening of the duration of retention, as our parliamentarians have proposed. It is ten months in Italy; unlimited in the United Kingdom “.

“It’s France, not a prison or a detention center”

Laurent Wauquiez’s proposal very quickly caused the outrage of a large part of the political spectrum. Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, “It’s France, not a prison or a detention center”indignant the overseas minister, Manuel Valls, in a statement sent to the France-Presse agency (AFP). “No French territory deserves to be treated as a relegation zone”he denounced. “Forced exile is a method of colon, no elected representative of the Republic. The prison of Cayenne is far away, and so much the better “insisted Mr. Valls

The leader of the National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen, also reacted to X, believing that “The Place des OQTF is in their country …, surely not in French territory. The inhabitants of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon are not sub-citizens ”.

As for Stéphane Lenormand, deputy for the archipelago and member of the Liot parliamentary group (freedoms, independents, overseas and territories), he deplored, on the same social network, the ” contempt “ of the deputy of Haute-Loire for the inhabitants of the archipelago. “The OQTF, it is in their country that they must be returned, not in ours. And it is a descendant of a convict who says it ”also reacted Nicolas Metzdorf, non-independence deputy for New Caledonia.

On the left, many voices have been so raised, such as that of deputy Alexis Corbière. “When the head of the French right reinvents Le Bagne, abolished in 1938! »»he was indignant on X.

Within the presidential camp, Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade, whose training is part of the same government coalition as LR, has also insurgent: “All that is still of republican in Laurent Wauquiez is the title of his get together! »»

The announcement of this proposal happens simply over a month within the LR congress which should designate, in mid-May, the brand new president of the get together. The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, who additionally runs out of the get together and is given favourite by the polls, underwent a month in the past after the refusal of Algeria to obtain sixty of his nationals underneath OQTF whose profile was certified as ” dangerous “ by Beauvau.