Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, president of the France Terre d'Asile association which supports asylum seekers and former education minister, has published a book with economist Benjamin Michallet aimed at debunking common misconceptions about people fleeing persecution or death: Réfugiés. Ce qu'on ne nous dit pas ("Refugees: What We're Not Told").

On July 4, gendarmes slashed an inflatable boat full of migrants who were attempting to cross the Channel to reach England, claiming it was to "protect" them. Do you feel that French methods have become increasingly aggressive?

Yes, and it's time to take stock of this militarization of the border, which is very expensive and has no effect: 20,000 people have crossed the Channel since January, compared to 12,000 in the same period in 2024. These methods are pushing even more people to want to reach the United Kingdom. The crossings are made even more dangerous – overcrowded boats, use of smugglers – with a record 78 deaths in 2024. Yet other solutions exist: In France, we could have a dignified reception, support for asylum or for unaccompanied minors under child welfare services; and in England, the opening of legal pathways from France (asylum, family reunification, work).

When French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau deployed 4,000 police officers and gendarmes over two days, June 18 and 19, to "arrest undocumented people," there was little reaction from society. Has the boundary of what is considered "acceptable" expanded?

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