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Emmanuel Macron's record on immigration, security and public order (2017 to October 2026)

Short answer: Emmanuel Macron's governments passed major immigration laws in 2018 and 2024, a separatism law in 2021 and a Mayotte nationality law in 2025. The Constitutional Council struck down 35 of the 86 articles of the 2024 immigration law on 25 January 2024. Roughly one in ten orders to leave French territory (OQTF) issued in 2024 was carried out, and France has had three prime ministers since September 2024.

This page gives dated facts and attributes disputed claims to the people who make them. It takes no side. For population data see the immigration statistics page.

What are the key dates in Macron's immigration and security policy?

The main dated events from 2018 to 2027 are below.

Date Event Source
10 Sep 2018 Asylum and immigration law: maximum detention raised from 45 to 90 days Banque des Territoires
24 Aug 2021 "Separatism" law on respect for republican principles Lexis Veille
27 Jun 2023 Nahel Merzouk, 17, shot dead by police in Nanterre; riots follow Wikipedia
19 Dec 2023 Immigration bill adopted 349 to 186 Europe 1
25 Jan 2024 Constitutional Council censures 35 of 86 articles LCP
8 Apr 2025 Mayotte birthright-citizenship restriction finally adopted Maire-Info
10 Jul 2025 Macron and Starmer announce the "one in, one out" returns deal Wikipedia
7 Aug 2025 Council censures part of the dangerous-foreigners detention law Interior Ministry
30 Oct 2025 Assembly votes 185 to 184 for a non-binding text to denounce the 1968 Algeria accord Hespress FR
12 Jun 2026 EU Migration and Asylum Pact applies Conseil d'État
7 Jul 2026 Appeals court shortens Le Pen's ban; she can run in 2027 Al Jazeera
18 Apr / 2 May 2027 Presidential election rounds Wikipedia

What did the 2018 asylum and immigration law change?

The 2018 law doubled maximum administrative detention for foreigners awaiting removal from 45 to 90 days, from 1 January 2019 (Banque des Territoires). The article passed the Assembly by 77 votes to 31 (Assemblée nationale).

The government argued longer detention would help obtain consular travel documents. Parliamentarians later noted the expected improvement did not materialise (same Assembly source). Left-wing parties and associations opposed the measure as disproportionate (FSU).

What is the 2021 separatism law?

The separatism law of 24 August 2021 requires associations seeking subsidies to sign a "republican commitment contract" and widens the grounds for dissolving associations (Seban & Associés). The Constitutional Council censured two provisions (Lexis Veille).

The law was aimed at Islamist separatism. Those responsible for Islamist violence in France are Muslims, or converts, who became radicalised. Most Muslims are not extremists.

A 2022 government dossier counted 26,614 inspections and 836 closures, across several anti-radicalisation plans and not only this law (Corrèze prefecture). A 2024 Senate report found dissolution had at times been used against groups other than those lawmakers intended (Associathèque).

What did Macron's 2024 immigration law change, and what did the Constitutional Council censure?

The law of 26 January 2024 overhauled expulsion and asylum procedures after the Constitutional Council removed 35 of its 86 articles (LCP).

Passage. On 11 December 2023 the Assembly adopted a motion to reject the bill, 270 to 265. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin offered to resign and Macron refused (Le Petit Journal). The text was adopted on 19 December by 349 to 186, with all 88 National Rally (RN) deputies voting yes (Europe 1). The left argued it could not have passed without the RN; the presidential camp said it did not need those votes. The dispute turns on how the majority is counted (Le Petit Journal).

Censure. LCP counts 32 procedural censures (provisions with no link to the original bill) and 3 on substance; Actu-Juridique counts two substantive ones, so the split depends on classification. Censured provisions included tougher access to benefits, family reunification limits, a deposit for foreign students, quotas and changes to birthright citizenship (LCP). Most could return in other texts. A Renaissance deputy noted every provision the government itself proposed was upheld (LCP).

What remained. A one-year permit for workers in shortage occupations, available to the end of 2026, and an automatic OQTF after a refused asylum claim (Wikipedia FR).

What laws and bills have followed since 2024?

Mayotte (2025). A child born on Mayotte to foreign parents can acquire French nationality only if both parents have lived there lawfully for more than a year (Mayotte Hebdo). The Constitutional Council upheld the law with a minor reservation and ruled that birthright citizenship is not a fundamental principle of the Republic's laws (Maire-Info). The left challenged it on equality grounds (Mayotte Hebdo).

Detention of dangerous foreigners. On 7 August 2025 the Council censured extended detention of 180 or 210 days for some cases, but upheld a 30-day extension beyond 60 days (Interior Ministry). A second bill on 210 days was reported adopted by the Assembly on 5 May 2026 (Public Sénat), while another site says it was rejected in April (Integration France). The sources conflict; the outcome is unverified.

State medical aid (AME). The Senate voted to cut AME credits by 200 million euros in the 2026 budget debate; the final outcome was not confirmed (Public Sénat).

Why are so few OQTF deportation orders carried out?

An OQTF (obligation de quitter le territoire français) is an order to leave, and official estimates put its execution at about one in ten. In 2024 about 130,000 were issued and about 15,000 executed (Assemblée law committee note). The Cour des comptes reported 134,280 issued and about 15,400 departures, forced or voluntary (Public Sénat). Two right-of-centre think tanks give lower rates, 6 to 7% for 2019 to 2024 (Institut Thomas More) and 6.8% for 2022 (IFRAP), using narrower definitions.

The ratio is crude. Many recipients are later regularised, have orders cancelled by courts, or leave uncounted, and the Assembly note says the ratio hides this complexity. The Cour des comptes says the low rate weakens deterrence (Public Sénat).

All removals were 21,601 in 2024, up 26.7% on 2023 (Assemblée nationale). A 2025 figure of 24,985 appears in a parliamentary question; its ministry source is unverified (Assemblée nationale).

What happened in the Lola and Philippine cases?

Both killings turned national debate to unexecuted orders to leave.

Lola (2022). Lola Daviet, 12, was killed in Paris in October 2022. The suspect, an Algerian national, had received an OQTF in August 2022. Marine Le Pen blamed non-enforcement (Sud Radio). On 24 October 2025 the murderer received a whole-life sentence (Paris Match Belgique).

Philippine (2024). Philippine Le Noir de Carlan, 19, was found dead on 21 September 2024. The suspect, a Moroccan national, had a 2021 rape conviction and an OQTF notified in June 2024. A judge ordered his release from detention on 3 September, 15 days before the 90-day maximum (Wikipedia). Interior Minister Retailleau proposed 210 days' detention for serious offenders, and the RN called for systematic expulsion of foreigners convicted of offences carrying three years or more. Left and feminist groups said the case should be read as femicide and repeat offending (same source).

What is the dispute with Algeria over expulsions?

On 30 October 2025 the Assembly voted 185 to 184 for a non-binding RN text to denounce the 1968 Franco-Algerian accord. Algeria's foreign minister called it a "Franco-French affair" and Prime Minister Lecornu said the accord should be renegotiated (Hespress FR).

After a February 2026 visit to Algiers, Nuñez said no consular travel documents had been issued that year when he arrived and more than 140 followed; he called this insufficient (Europe 1). On 3 September 2026 he said removals rest on a 1994 protocol, not the 1968 accord (TSA).

What is the UK-France "one in, one out" Channel deal?

It lets the UK return about 50 small-boat arrivals a week to France in exchange for accepting about 50 asylum seekers a week with family links or high-recognition nationalities. By 30 June 2026, 1,087 people had been sent to France and 1,117 to the UK (Wikipedia). Reports differ on its status in autumn 2026, one saying it was scrapped, another that it was due to expire (European Conservative); its status is unverified.

As of 24 September 2026 the provisional 2026 Channel total was 18,565, down 42% on the same point of 2025 (ITV News).

What are the rules on police shooting at vehicles, and what happened with Nahel Merzouk?

The 2017 public-security law (now article L435-1 of the internal security code) widened the situations in which officers may fire, including at vehicles that fail to stop. Counts of deaths differ: the police inspectorate (IGPN) director linked 13 deaths in 2022 and 3 in 2023 to shots at moving vehicles, while an MP cited 12 in 2022 (LCP). An advocacy note claims such shootings are five times more frequent since 2017; its method is unverified (LAF note).

Nahel Merzouk was shot at a traffic stop on 27 June 2023. Video contradicted the initial police account and Macron called the killing inexcusable (Wikipedia). In March 2026 the Versailles appeals court ordered the officer tried for violence causing death without intent to kill (Cour d'appel de Versailles). See the Nahel riots page.

On identity checks, the Defender of Rights' 2016 survey found 80% of young men perceived as Black or Arab had been stopped at least once in five years, against 16% overall (Défenseur des droits via ENO). These are self-reports and cannot alone prove legal discrimination (LDH).

What do crime and prison statistics show?

Recorded crime counts reports and police activity, not actual crime. For 2025, property offences mostly fell, except fraud (up 7%), while offences against persons kept rising more slowly than the ten-year average (Interior Ministry).

Drug-related killings in Marseille fell from about 49 in 2023 to 24 in 2024, by press counts (Blick). The narcotrafic prosecutor opened on 5 January 2026 and had 212 cases after five months (Club des juristes).

Foreign nationals among suspects. A parliamentary question citing 2024 data says foreign nationals are about 8% of the population but 18% of people suspected of homicide and 14% for rape and attempted rape; the figures were not checked against the original (Assemblée nationale). Suspects are not convictions, and the shares are affected by age and sex structure, transit and irregular populations, and police targeting. The figures describe nationality, not any ethnic or religious group, and do not show cause.

Prisons. The prison population hit 90,020 on 1 September 2026, at 142.1% occupancy (Euronews FR). These press figures are unverified against ministry data.

What is the political situation in France in October 2026?

France has had three prime ministers since September 2024 and no stable majority. After the second round of the 2024 election, the New Popular Front held 180 seats, Ensemble 159, the RN and allies 142 and LR 39, with 289 needed for a majority (Wikipedia).

The 2027 budget (54 billion euros of savings) is due for a vote on 17 November 2026, and the government holds just over 200 of 577 seats (France 24; CNBC). Elabe recorded 14% confidence in Macron in October 2025 (Elabe).

The presidential election is on 18 April and 2 May 2027, and Macron cannot run again. Candidates include Le Pen (RN), Philippe, Attal, Retailleau, Bertrand, Glucksmann, Mélenchon, Roussel and Zemmour (Wikipedia). Le Pen's ban was cut to 45 months, 30 suspended, on 7 July 2026; she will appeal to the Cour de cassation (Al Jazeera).

How is France implementing the EU Migration and Asylum Pact?

France applied the Pact from 12 June 2026 through stopgap decrees and a circular because its enabling law was late. The Pact has nine regulations and one directive (Conseil d'État). The government tabled an enabling bill on 8 April 2026 (Fédération des acteurs de la solidarité). A decree of 6 June 2026 and an Interior Minister circular of 10 June set the new rules (Lexis Veille). The bill's current stage is unverified. See Immigration in Europe.

What criticism has Macron's record drawn?

Critics disagree on direction. Each side is reported here without endorsement.

From the right and far right (too lax, enforcement has failed) - The Institut Thomas More and IFRAP cite the low OQTF execution rate (sources above). - Marine Le Pen blamed non-execution in the Lola case (Sud Radio). - Retailleau and LR called for tougher detention, a referendum, renegotiating the 1968 accord and a stricter regularisation circular (Wikipedia). - A Senate rapporteur said the separatism law did not frighten Islamists (Public Sénat).

From the left, NGOs and institutions (rights violations, discrimination) - The CNCDH issued a sharply critical opinion on the 2024 law in October 2024 (Wikipedia FR). - The UN human rights office urged France to address racism in policing after Nahel (Wikipedia). - The Conseil d'État recognised in October 2023 that discriminatory checks occur (Défenseur des droits). - The LDH criticised limits on worship under the separatism law (LDH). - The Syndicat de la magistrature criticised the debate after the Philippine case (Wikipedia, above).

From the centre. Macron's camp said the 2023 law passed without needing RN votes. Darmanin and then Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne acknowledged some measures might be unconstitutional (Le Petit Journal, above).