“Rebuilding” Mayotte: immigration, shanty towns, investments… What the law ratified by Parliament contains

Fighting against immigration and illegal housing, investing massively to rebuild the poorest department in France, censusing the population, seven months after the passage of Chido , Parliament definitively adopted this Thursday, July 10, by a vote in the Senate , the bill to "rebuild" Mayotte , the poorest department in France, facing immense challenges even before the cyclone.

The bill was adopted without difficulty. The result of a compromise between MPs and senators , it already passed the National Assembly on Wednesday with the support of the government coalition and the far right. However, the left did not vote for it. The reason: the bill's "obsession" with immigration and "inhumane" measures directly inspired by Marine Le Pen's platform, several MPs accused. Here are the main points of the bill, which is due to be finally adopted Thursday in the Senate.

The government's text is not simply a bill; it also includes a programmatic component, which sets objectives for the executive. It notably provides for €4 billion in public investment over six years. These public investments are linked to priorities in the areas of water, education, health, infrastructure, and security.

The project includes a promise to build "essential infrastructure" such as hospitals and a new airport on the island of Grande-Terre. It also contains more general commitments, such as the end of school rotations for the start of the 2027 school year, while many students currently have to share their classrooms with another group due to a lack of available space.

The text lists two priorities: the fight against immigration and illegal housing, "otherwise, we risk rebuilding Mayotte on sand," in the words of Overseas Minister Manuel Valls. Several measures facilitate the destruction of shantytowns on the archipelago, for example, the possibility of waiving the obligation to offer rehousing or emergency accommodation.

The bill primarily tightens the conditions for access to residence in the archipelago, where half the population is foreign , according to INSEE. Obtaining a residence permit for parents of French children will now have to be conditional on legal entry into the country. It combats fraudulent recognition of paternity by increasing the penalty for this offense. And it provides for the centralization of these recognitions in Mamoudzou, with the aim of identifying those responsible for multiple recognitions.

The security component provides for the possible withdrawal of residence permits from the parents of children considered to be a threat to public order. It also provides for the possibility of placing minors accompanying an adult subject to a removal order in a detention zone.

The text provides for the abolition, by 2030, of territorialized visas in Mayotte, which prevent holders of a Mayotte residence permit from entering mainland France. The abolition of this specific residence permit is eagerly awaited by some residents who see it as an injustice and a lack of solidarity from mainland France in the face of the massive influx of illegal immigrants, particularly from the neighboring Comoros.

On the social side, the bill plans to converge the level of social benefits such as the RSA or the SMIC between Mayotte and mainland France by 2031. A first step will make it possible to reach 87.5% of the SMIC from January 1, 2026. On the business side, a reduction in charges and the maintenance of the CICE until January 1, 2027 have been enacted, with the establishment of a specific charge exemption scheme for overseas companies, from this date.

Analysis

Furthermore, the text provides for the creation of a "global free zone" with tax rebates of up to 100%, extended to all businesses and sectors of activity, to stimulate the Mahoran economy. However, the text has been stripped of a measure that is particularly irritating for the Mahorans: an article simplifying land procedures and expropriations for the purpose of building essential infrastructure.

The comprehensive population census in Mayotte , starting in 2025, a much-anticipated measure on the island, is also enshrined in law. For years, local officials have argued that the population is underestimated, resulting in communities that are less well-resourced than they should be and overburdened public services.

Mayotte will become a single "department-region" . This institutional change, enacted in a parallel organic law, aims to give more leverage to elected officials in Mayotte, particularly to manage European funds and steer the development of their archipelago.

The project establishes a list system for the election of 52 councillors to the Mayotte assembly, as well as incentives to attract civil servants, such as a seniority bonus and priority transfer upon return.