"It's too dirty, really unlivable": Deteriorating living conditions at the Bordeaux administrative detention center

The situation in the basement of the police station, where the administrative detention center is currently located, appears to be deteriorating, say whistleblowers.

The smell of dampness mixed with that of tobacco clings to the nostrils. The lack of daylight is overwhelming for even the most claustrophobic. It's hard to feel comfortable in the administrative detention center (CRA) in Bordeaux. We're in the basement of the police station in Mériadeck. Right next to the jails.

You might think it's a prison, but no: the CRA is a place used to detain undocumented foreigners who are no longer welcome. They will either be sent back or released (free or under house arrest). Not detained, but not quite free. "We feel they have trouble understanding why they are there," summarizes Alain David.

The Socialist MP for Gironde (the fourth constituency, on the right bank) exercised his right to visit, following an alert from Cimade, the association chosen following a public appeal to intervene in the CRAs. "I have no business being there. I'm French," a Portuguese man assured him. In reality, the 65-year-old man does not have French nationality: after seven months in prison for assault, he is due to be sent back to his country of origin, even though he feels French because he has lived in France for forty years. For him, the return will not pose any administrative problems.

But for others, the situation is more than delicate. This is the case, for example, for Algerians. Diplomatic relations between France and Algeria have become seriously strained in recent months, to the point where Algeria no longer accepts France sending deported people. As a result, nationals are sometimes kept for the maximum authorized period, namely ninety days. "We are distorting the spirit of the CRA," the MP judges. "We know very well that if the country does not respond within the first few weeks, the people cannot be deported. So they should not be managed in this way."

"No matter what we've done, we're still human. In our rooms, we sleep four together and we don't breathe."

This is the dilemma facing our societies: some are demanding firmness with regard to illegal immigrants who commit crimes, but foreign countries are no longer willing to accept them. What should be done with them? At the beginning of July, MPs, under the leadership of Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, adopted a bill extending the maximum detention period from ninety to two hundred and ten days for the most dangerous profiles.

However, at the Bordeaux CRA, individuals just released from prison are already being held. And according to Cimade, the average length of detention increased from twenty-seven days in 2024 to thirty-four in 2025. Ten people even exceeded ninety days, the association claims.

Beyond the merits of this extension of detention, which everyone will judge for themselves, problems with living conditions are still relevant. In May, Green senator Monique de Marco noted "a deterioration" in the situation. Upon our arrival, Saber, a Tunisian, warned us: "It's too dirty, really unbearable... We're close to torture! Whatever we've done, we're still human. In the rooms, we sleep four together and we can't breathe. The shower water is often cold..."

A few weeks ago, a bathroom door was removed, reducing the number of available toilets to one for every 20 people. "Nauseating odors come out of the toilets and spread everywhere, making living conditions particularly appalling," said a former occupant.

Cécile Roubeix, Cimade's legal advisor, adds: "Conditions have deteriorated in recent weeks. To the point that we've had five suicide attempts in one month, which has never happened before." The infirmary is trying to cope with its meager resources, which are not those of a real medical service.

Is this climate linked to the upcoming opening of a new CRA (see elsewhere)? MP David fears that the investment will lead to a lack of maintenance in the old one. "The resources necessary for the operation and maintenance of a CRA are renewed from year to year," responds the prefecture.