Rabat – France’s Minister of Interior Bruno Retailleau announced yesterday that his country has compiled a list of several hundred Algerian nationals with “dangerous profiles” for potential deportation.

This move comes as part of a “graduated response” strategy against Algeria amid an escalating diplomatic crisis between the two nations.

Bruno Retailleau mentioned that these individuals pose security threats either because they have disturbed public order or appear in France’s database of terrorism-affiliated radicals.

He insisted Algeria must take back its citizens in accordance with international law to ensure the safety of the French people.

The French minister said that the crisis intensified following Algeria’s refusal to accept irregular migrants returned by France, including the perpetrator of a February 22 attack in Mulhouse that killed a Portuguese national.

Retailleau referred to this case specifically, stating the attacker should have been in Algeria, as French authorities had repeatedly tried to return him, but Algerian officials refused to accept him.

“I don’t want what happened in Mulhouse to happen again tomorrow,” Retailleau warned, framing Algeria’s response to France’s deportation demands as “the test of truth.”

The interior minister accused Algeria of disregarding international agreements, specifically the 1944 Chicago Convention and a 1994 bilateral accord that requires Algeria to accept its citizens when returned by France.

When questioned about apparent contradictions in policy, including the interior ministry’s issuance of Ramadan-period visas to imams primarily from Morocco but also occasionally from Algeria, Retailleau dismissed concerns, saying there was “no paradox” in these actions.

Retailleau elaborated on the issue saying: “It’s Ramadan, and for decades we’ve been granting facilities to imams…who come for 40 days and ‘are strictly controlled.’” He added that France preferred “people who come over a short period rather than some who proclaim themselves imams and hold hate speeches.”

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Relations between Paris and Algiers have deteriorated significantly following France’s pivotal position on the Western Sahara. 

France recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in July 2024, which instigated Algeria’s hostility against its traditional ally.