Comoros Criticizes France Over Migration Clampdown

This week, France's interior minister said he planned to revoke birthplace citizenship in Mayotte, allowing only those born to French parents on the Indian Ocean island to become French.

"We are entitled to wonder if the stated desire to abolish birthplace rights in Mayotte would not, finally, be the beginning of a fresh questioning of the so-called belonging of the island of Mayotte to France," the Comoran foreign ministry said late Tuesday.

Part of the Comoros archipelago, Mayotte voted to remain part of France in 1974, when the other islands sought independence, becoming the Comoros Islands.

But today's state, the Union of the Comoros, still claims Mayotte as its own.

Despite being France's poorest department, Mayotte has French infrastructure and welfare, making it a tempting destination for Comorans living in poverty.

Many pay smugglers to make the dangerous, sometimes deadly, 70-kilometer (45-mile) sea crossing on rickety fishing boats.

The influx has caused major tensions, with many locals complaining about crime and poverty.

The citizenship rights reform was announced by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Sunday after he arrived on the island, following three weeks of protests.

Darmanin said the measure would reduce "the attractiveness" of the archipelago for prospective immigrants. France currently grants citizenship through both bloodline and birthplace.