French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said yesterday that his team is preparing a list of hundreds of “dangerous” individuals to present to Algerian authorities in preparation for their deportation, DPA reported.
Speaking to the French news channel BFM TV, the minister stated that these individuals pose a threat “because they have disrupted public order or are listed in our records as extremists on terrorism charges.”
Retailleau added that he “hopes this will serve as a reality test with Algeria.”
“What I want, once again, to protect the French people, is for Algeria to take back its nationals as required by international law,” he added.
Relations between the two countries have been strained due to previous deportation operations involving Algerian nationals, which faced obstacles, as well as France’s subsequent decision to impose entry restrictions on Algerian officials.
Algeria, in turn, has accused France’s far-right of undermining bilateral relations.