Wauquiez Proposes Detention Center in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon for Dangerous OQTFs: Political Uproar Ensues

In the midst of his campaign for the presidency of the Les Républicains party, Laurent Wauquiez has sparked fierce controversy by proposing the transfer of foreign nationals under an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) — deemed dangerous — to the archipelago of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, off the coast of Canada. His statement has been widely condemned across the political spectrum, including by members of his own party.

A “Radical” Measure Aimed at Deterrence

In an interview published Tuesday, April 8, in JDNews, the MP for Haute-Loire defended what he called a “radical change”: the creation of an administrative detention center on Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, where OQTF subjects who refuse repatriation would be sent. “They will have two choices: return to their home country or take a one-way ticket to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon,” said Wauquiez, adding that, since the archipelago lies outside the Schengen Area, return to mainland France could be effectively blocked.

Wauquiez also highlighted the archipelago’s harsh climate as a deterrent: “An annual average temperature of 5°C, 146 days of rain and snow… I believe people will think twice,” he said. He further advocated for lengthening detention periods, citing examples from Italy (18 months) and the UK (unlimited).

Outrage Across the Political Spectrum

The proposal triggered an immediate backlash. Minister for Overseas Territories Manuel Valls condemned the idea, calling it “a colonialist method” and asserting, “Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon is France — not a prison island.” He likened the idea to reviving the penal colony of Cayenne, abolished in 1938, and insisted that no French territory should be treated as a dumping ground.

Stéphane Lenormand, the MP for Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, denounced the proposal as “absurd, unworkable, and deeply insulting.” “We are not France’s trash bin,” he said, stressing the logistical impossibility of such a plan, including the complications of routing through Canada.

Echoes of Past Proposals

Although this is the first time Wauquiez has publicly floated such an idea, it closely mirrors a 2021 proposal by Éric Ciotti, who suggested creating a “French Guantanamo” to detain the most dangerous terrorists in a dedicated facility.

Criticism From All Political Sides

Even Marine Le Pen — a staunch advocate for stricter immigration policies — criticized Wauquiez’s proposal as disrespectful to the residents of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. “OQTFs belong in their home countries, not on French soil,” she stated.

From the left, outrage was equally strong. Former left-wing MP turned ecologist Alexis Corbière blasted the plan as “a reinvention of the penal colony,” while Macron-aligned lawmaker Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade quipped, “The only republican thing left in Wauquiez is the name of his party.”