A real little legal exception is on the way in Mayotte.

Gérald Darmanin, visiting the island at the beginning of the week, indeed wishes to "suspend the law of the soil as it is today" in the department.

Since 2018, one of the two parents must justify their regular presence on the territory three months before the birth of a child so that the latter can claim French nationality.

The Minister now wants this period to be extended to one year, for both parents.

According to him, it is a question of "fighting against the attractiveness of papers" of the territory vis-à-vis foreigners, in particular Comorians.

An announcement applauded by the two deputies from the island, where the far right had clearly come out on top in the presidential election.

President of a group of citizens who had paralyzed the island in the spring of 2018 to denounce in particular insecurity and illegal immigration, MP Estelle Youssouffa (Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories Group) estimated that "the Minister (from the Interior Gérald Darmanin) is part of a positive approach, which goes in the direction of what the Mahorais want.

Now, the government will have to have the courage of its announcements”.

"Population change"

“I hear that for France, it seems difficult to hear but what is happening here is so delusional, it is out of the ordinary and faced with this situation we need radical solutions”, argues Estelle Youssouffa.

Same story with the island's second deputy, Mansour Kamardine (LR), who claims to "witness a change in population".

According to INSEE, almost half of the population of Mayotte does not have French nationality, but a third of foreigners were born in Mayotte.

But on the island, the new proposals of Gérald Darmanin are also strongly criticized or rejected.

“This island cannot support more than the current density, which is already far too high.

We all agree on that.

But with these announcements, we are not looking for a solution, ”considers lawyer Marjane Ghaem.

“For more than 15 years, policies in Mayotte have consisted in preventing the arrival of foreign people on the island, except that the obvious observation is that the situation is getting worse and that the solutions provided are not subject to any audit”, observes this specialist in the law of foreigners.

"Delaying the acquisition of nationality"

For Saïd Omar Oili, mayor of Dzaoudzi (Petite-Terre) and former president of the association of mayors of Mayotte, the account is not there.

“Before changing the device, we should perhaps take stock of what we have achieved during this time.

Has immigration gone down or has it stayed the same?

“, he asks.

“The problem is above all demographic.

Whether a mother has one or ten children, it will not change her status, ”continues the city councilor.

Family and historical ties, extreme poverty, there is no shortage of arguments from both sides to believe that this measure will not stem the migratory flow.

Me Ghaem stresses that “in the end, we will only delay the acquisition of nationality for young people who are in any case destined to stay on the territory”.

When they come of age, young people born in Mayotte will indeed be able to benefit "as of right" from a residence permit and then access nationality through naturalization, explains the specialist, while solidarity associations with migrants believe that thousands of children will be "condemned to administrative wanderings".

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Mayotte: Gérald Darmanin wants to toughen the attribution of nationality to children born in the department

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  • Mayotte

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  • Gerald Darmanin

  • Far right