France considers plan to amend constitution to revoke birthplace citizenship in Mayotte

French authorities have announced a controversial plan to amend the constitution to revoke birthplace citizenship on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, claiming it would help stem an immigration crisis. [...] France currently grants citizenship through both bloodline and birthplace, and the proposal risks further ramping up of tensions in France following the adoption of a new immigration law. [...] Mayotte, which lies north-west of Madagascar, became a full-fledged French department in 2011. Thousands of Comorans fleeing poverty and corruption make the trip across to Mayotte every year in search of higher living standards. The influx has caused major tensions, with many on Mayotte complaining about crime and poverty. There have been weeks of protest against insecurity and the migration crisis. A months-long water crisis has exacerbated tensions. Mayotte is composed of two islands that voted to stay part of France in 1973. The others in the surrounding Muslim-majority archipelago sought independence, becoming the Comoros Islands. While the left denounced the fresh plan as another attack on French values, some local campaigners in Mayotte welcomed it, and political leaders on the right and the far right quickly suggested it be applied across the whole of France. [...] In December, the French parliament passed a tough immigration bill adopted under pressure from the right. In January, France’s top constitutional authority censured contentious additions made on the insistence of the right.
Read the full article here: Guardian News