Mass migration into Europe is becoming "unmanageable" and "destabilising", warns the former director of the French border police. Fernand Gontier spoke about the difficulties the border police are facing in an interview.

Border police in France find it increasingly difficult to manage the influx, especially since they are struggling to recruit new staff, Mr. Gontier pointed out.

„Illegal immigration, forced and massive, is becoming unmanageable, dangerous and destabilising for democracies and our way of life,” he told Le Figaro.

Mr.Gontier warned that the French border police and customs did not have the resources to perform their duties adequately. He pointed to a lack of staff and technological equipment, poor cooperation between the different agencies of the French government, and an increasingly restrictive legal framework.

Border guards lack access to technology such as thermal detectors, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat detectors or silhouette detectors that can help discover people attempting to cross borders hidden in vehicles.

„These devices are used almost exclusively at the120 or so airports and ports that are border crossing points,” Mr. Gontier noted. They are not used at the internal borders, “even though 90 per cent of the illegal immigrants enter the country’s territory across these borders.”

He cited the decision by the Council of State in February this year that prohibits the forced expulsion of illegal immigrants. On a European level, Schengen also poses a problem, because there is a lack of co-operation between different agencies, Mr. Gontier said.

Fabrice Leggeri, the former head of Frontex and currently an MEP of the French right-wing National Rally, agreed with Mr. Gontier.

„The statements by the former head of the border police are appalling: lack of resources, insufficient training, lax legal framework… Border control has deteriorated, threatening our security,”

he posted on X.

Les révélations de l’ex-patron de la PAF sont accablantes : manque de moyens, formation insuffisante, cadre juridique laxiste. Le contrôle des frontières est dégradé, menaçant notre sécurité.

Comme le préconise Fernand Gontier, il nous faut des moyens accrus, une vraie… https://t.co/lCirCv964o

— Fabrice Leggeri (@FabriceLeggeri) August 19, 2024

“As Fernand Gontier recommends, we need more resources, real coordination and the use of advanced technologies to support border police,” he pointed out.