France: In Vesoul, a mother of six faces deportation to Morocco

A rally was held on Saturday outside the prefecture in Vesoul, France, to protest an expulsion order targeting a Moroccan mother of six. Organized by the Alliance pour l’émancipation sociale 70, an association supporting families threatened with deportation, the sit-in called for the withdrawal of the measures taken against Nisrine Driouich, who has been issued an Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQTF). The demonstration was backed by the departmental branch of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT 70).

According to L’Est Républicain, the mother was placed in the Metz detention center on August 9, following an OQTF issued on June 5, 2025, by the Haute-Saône prefecture. The outlet reported that the 40-year-old woman “had arrived in France irregularly in 2021 with her four children” to join her husband, who holds a residence permit and works at the Stellantis plant in Vesoul. “The couple later had two children in France, the youngest of whom is 21 months old,” the same source said.

L’Insoumission, the multimedia news platform of La France Insoumise (LFI), said Nisrine Driouich was detained during an identity check “while she was going to the police station for administrative formalities.” Arrested with a view to deportation “the next day,” she fell ill and was released on August 14 by order of the liberty and custody judge. However, “a new order provides for her expulsion on Sunday, August 23,” the source added.

Yesterday, the associations and trade unions that joined the support rally called for the mother to be granted legal status. She has notably received backing from LFI MP Danièle Obono, as well as from the French Communist Party (PCF).