Migrants and Asylum Seekers’ Rights in France

Human Rights Watch–World Report 2021

Migrants and Asylum Seekers’ Rights
In July, the ECtHR ruled that France violated the rights of three asylum seekers in depriving them material and financial support to which they were entitled, forcing them to live in the streets in “inhuman and degrading living conditions.”

In Calais, NGOs providing assistance to migrants and asylum seekers reported continued harassment and abuse by police against migrants and aid workers. In September, the interior minister prohibited food distribution by NGOs not authorized or contracted by the State through December 14. The French Ombudsperson said the measure constitutes “discrimination based on nationality.”

France continued to detain people in immigration detention centers during the pandemic despite calls in March from the French Ombudsperson and the General Controller for Prisons for their closure given the risks of contracting Covid-19 and the fact that deportations could not be carried out in a reasonable timeframe due to travel restrictions. In September, the government announced it would use a detention center outside Paris for people who tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19 while they awaited deportation.