The shocking proposal rivals conservative politician Eric Ciotti's 2021 idea of a "French Guantanamo." Les Républicains MP Laurent Wauquiez suggested on Tuesday, April 8, "detaining" dangerous individuals under a deportation order (known as OQTF) in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French territory off the coast of Canada. Wauquiez even used a meteorological argument in his interview with the newspaper JDNews: "The average temperature is 5°C throughout the year, with 146 days of rain and snow. I think quite quickly, it will make everyone reflect. You refuse to return to your country? Very well, you take a one-way ticket to Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, with no return flight to Europe," said Wauquiez, one of two contenders for the presidency of the right-wing party. The French archipelago has the advantage, in Wauquiez's eyes, of not being in the Schengen Area. This would block "any return to mainland France."

In the afternoon, some MPs from his group thought it was a photoshopped image when they saw the magazine's cover being shared online. But Wauquiez stood by his strong stance on the issue and his attack on "political correctness." Especially when it came to pointing out the weakness of his opponent for the party presidency, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, on the subject of deportations.

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