France Moves to Extend Right to Detain Illegal Immigrants Deemed Dangerous

France backs longer detention after a Moroccan illegal immigrant with a rape conviction and a deportation order was accused of raping and killing a student.

Members of the Regional Intervention and Security Teams open the cell of a high-security inmate before his transfer from Gradignan Prison to the newly operational high-security prison of Conde-sur-Sarthe, in Gradignan, southwestern France, on Nov. 20, 2025. Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

The French National Assembly approved in first reading on May 5 a bill that would allow illegal immigrants deemed dangerous to be held in administrative detention for up to 210 days, or seven months, while awaiting removal.

The bill, known as the Rodwell or “Philippine” bill, was adopted by the Assemblée nationale on May 5 under an accelerated procedure and will now go to the Senate.