Seventy-two hours. That's how long it took Bruno Retailleau to raise the issue of migration after Cyclone Chido devastated the French overseas department of Mayotte on December 14. "We will not be able to rebuild Mayotte without addressing the migration issue with the greatest determination," Retailleau posted on X on Tuesday, December 17.

Retailleau, a prominent member of conservative party Les Républicains, had to resign as France's interior minister when the government was toppled by MPs. He is being considered for reappointment. "Legislation will be needed so that in Mayotte, as across the nation's territory, France regains control of its immigration." This stance caused indignation on the left. "We are in the midst of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The state's only compass should be the preservation of human life," denounced Vittoria Logrippo, a delegate for the Indian Ocean region, where Mayotte is situated, at La Cimade, a migrant aid association. "People were vulnerable because of their dire circumstances, not their administrative status."

Immigration is a key factor in policy-making for Mayotte. It was at the heart of Gérald Darmanin's 2023 Operation Wuambushu, which aimed to destroy substandard housing, increase expulsions and stem the arrival of kwassa-kwassa boats carrying Comorians. The fight against irregular migration is also the "main theme of the bilateral relationship" with the Comoros, where most of the undocumented people in Mayotte come from, noted a 2022 report from the Cour des Comptes.

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