Loire-Atlantique immigration detention center Nantes, Digi Mart USA News (Loire-Atlantique, France): Les Républicains are attempting to regain the initiative over the planned construction of the administrative detention center in Loire-Atlantique. Senator Laurence Garnier led a meeting with activists to share talking points on the project.
The project, announced in 2022, has faced strong opposition for several months, both on the ground and in administrative courts. Critics cite its cost, environmental impact and the stigmatization of immigration.
The Republicans, led by Bruno Retailleau, pushed back on Thursday, October 5, seeking to shape the narrative about the project’s usefulness. Garnier, a Republican senator from Loire-Atlantique, answered questions from Ici Pays de la Loire TV during the event.
Garnier said the aim was to explain concretely what the center will involve, with completion planned for mid-2028 in Nantes. She stated that the facility is not a racist project but a tool to combat irregular immigration, prioritizing people considered likely to disturb public order.
According to 2025 data, she said, 40 percent of people placed in administrative detention by prefectoral services are individuals coming directly from prison. She added that nearly all other detainees represent proven threats to public order in three specific categories: terrorism, drug trafficking, and sexual and gender-based violence.
Garnier attributed these figures to official data provided by the Loire-Atlantique prefecture.
Asked about the cost of 40 million euros for construction amid a tense social climate, Garnier acknowledged that such projects represent a expense for the public but argued that public safety is an absolute priority. She said the state has a duty to protect citizens by detaining foreign nationals in irregular situations who are either leaving detention or threatening public tranquility.
Garnier also said administrative detention is not an exclusive position of the right, noting that the principle was introduced under President François Mitterrand. She argued that the French are open and among the most tolerant and welcoming in the European Union, but do not accept that individuals who entered the country illegally endanger citizens.
She referred to the Philippine case, a killing that deeply affected Bruno Retailleau, who became Minister of the Interior shortly afterward. Garnier said this issue is one of several priorities in the campaign, alongside purchasing power, education and ecology.
