France has launched a sweeping illegal immigration crackdown at major transportation hubs, targeting undocumented migrants in a two-day nationwide operation. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced the initiative will mobilize police, gendarmes, customs agents, and military forces to conduct checks at bus terminals and train stations, including Paris’s Gare du Nord.
“What I want to say is that clandestine migrants are not welcome in France, in the most resolute and definitive way,” Retailleau stated during a media appearance on Cnews TV and Europe 1 radio. The operation, running June 18 and 19, builds on a May effort that led to more than 750 arrests.
Retailleau reported a 28 percent increase in apprehensions of illegal migrants, attributing the rise to tighter border enforcement and transportation checks. So far in 2025, French authorities have detained approximately 47,000 undocumented individuals.
Backed by the longstanding Operation Sentinelle, which deploys 7,000 troops daily at a cost of €400,000, the campaign reflects a broader effort to reassert national control over immigration. The government has reinstated strict border controls, ordering law enforcement to monitor trains entering and leaving major cities and border regions.
While human rights organizations have voiced concerns, many citizens and conservative leaders see the crackdown as essential. Retailleau’s firm message is clear: sovereignty, security, and the rule of law must prevail.
