From welcoming refugees to the crisis in Lampedusa, six years of French immigration policy

Migrants gather on the deck of the Ocean Viking rescue ship on November 6, 2022. © Vincenzo Circosta, AP (archive)

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday that France would not be taking in any of the migrants who arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa last week. FRANCE 24 looks back at six years of French U-turns on immigration policies.

Having lamented for years that the Mediterranean has become “the world’s biggest cemetery”, Pope Francis is visiting the French port city of Marseille on Friday to reinforce his message that the region should welcome migrants.