Photo by Hédi Benyounes on Unsplash
As part of its partnership with the European Network on Statelessness, Forum Réfugiés-Cosi has published a new report on statelessness in the context of administrative detention for removal. This new study highlights significant gaps in the identification of persons at risk of statelessness, who are often exposed to repeated and prolonged detention with no real prospect of removal or of finding a lasting solution to their statelessness.
Even though France’s statelessness determination procedure, developed in 1952, was the first of its kind, the issue of statelessness in immigration detention remains largely hidden. The lack of data on people at risk of statelessness in general, and more specifically those in immigration detention, leads to incorrect assumptions about the severity of the issue. The situation of stateless individuals is rarely - if ever - understood or examined in immigration detention procedures. Even when cases of statelessness are identified (for example, by service providers present in detention centres or through appeal procedures), judicial and administrative bodies generally fail to provide adequate guarantees of identification, support, and protection.
This new report analyses the various issues and difficulties encountered both by people at risk of statelessness and other stakeholders. With a view to improving practice and promoting the consideration of statelessness in the context of detention, the report sets out a series of recommendations for the medium to long-term. The report also references tools and resources that can be used by professionals and decision-makers to strengthen the identification and protection of people at risk of statelessness, in particular in the context of detention.
Download the report (French):
Forum réfugiés-Cosi, L'apatridie et la rétention administrative en France, 2021
