© REUTERS
Children of migrants born in the overseas French territory of Mayotte will no longer automatically acquire French nationality. The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, announced this on Sunday during a visit to the archipelago off the coast of Mozambique.
Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 12:17 PM
“It will no longer be possible to become French if you are not the child of French parents,” Darmanin said upon his arrival. With this announcement, the minister hopes to make it less attractive for migrants to come to the archipelago.
Mayotte is located between Madagascar and the African mainland. It officially has about 310,000 inhabitants, but in reality there are probably more.
Mayotte has recently been faced with social unrest, partly due to poor living conditions. Last year, France had to send hundreds of police to the archipelago to restore order. Residents blame these problems on the arrival of undocumented migrants. A large number of them come by fishing boats from the Comoros.
To translate Darmanin’s promise into law, a revision of the constitution is needed. The proposal is said to have the support of President Emmanuel Macron and will be submitted to the Assemblée Nationale “one of the coming weeks,” according to the minister.
Gérald Darmanin — © AFP