Algerian migrant on deportation order accused of looting homes evacuated by French wildfires

In the wake of the massive forest fires that have scorched over 104,000 acres in South West France, a 28-year-old Algerian migrant with an OQTF deportation order has been indicted for robbing at least five evacuated residences in the Cestas commune of Gironde. The man, already serving two additional prison terms for prior convictions, was identified through surveillance video, DNA evidence and geolocation data from his mobile phone.

He maintains he acted only as a lookout for a still-unidentified accomplice. A great-grandmother from Cestas testified that burglars ransacked her home, emptied the fridge and stole jewellery, likening the experience to a personal assault. The Bordeaux criminal court scheduled further proceedings for October, and the accused will stay behind bars pending trial. The incident has reignited debate over France’s deportation enforcement, which removes fewer than one in ten migrant offenders each year.