The murder of a 19-year-old student by a Moroccan migrant under a deportation order has sent shockwaves through France, with many calling on the nation to finally crack down on immigration.
On Tuesday, police arrested repeat offender Taha Oualidat after discovering the half-buried corpse of Philippine Le Noir de Carlan in a forest in the 21st Arrondissement of Paris on Saturday.
The 19-year-old girl was last seen on September 20 by her fellow classmates on the Paris-Dauphine University campus. She was meant to visit her parents that evening in the suburbs of Montigny-le-Bretonneux but never showed up.
Later that night, at around 11 p.m., Philippine’s sister called the authorities to report she was missing. Less than 24 hours after police conducted a thorough search of the city and surrounding areas, her corpse was found in a forest in Boulogne, an area of Paris known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Although police conducted an autopsy on the economic student’s corpse, which was covered in cuts and wounds, the exact cause of death has yet to be determined.
The suspect, recently released from prison, was discovered by police Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, and will be extradited to France to face trial.
News of Philippine’s brutal murder prompted a public outcry from politicians and citizens, many of whom called on the government to clamp down on deporting migrants with a criminal record.
“Philippine’s life was stolen from her by a Moroccan migrant under an OQTF. This migrant therefore had no place on our soil, but he was able to reoffend with total impunity. Our justice system is lax, our state is dysfunctional, our leaders let the French live with human bombs. It is time for this government to act: our compatriots are angry and are not going to pay lip service,” wrote Jordan Bardella, leader of France’s rightwing party National Rally on X.
Sharing his sentiments, François Hollande, the former socialist president of France, added that “deportation orders had to be enforced quickly.’”
As a result, France’s conservative interior minister Bruno Retailleau announced he would be tightening immigration legislation to make it easier to send convicted migrants back home.
“This is an abominable crime,” he said, noting that the government must “develop [its] legal arsenal to protect the French … If we have to change the rules, let’s change them.”
According to Barrons, Oualidat, who was a minor at the time, was charged and sentenced to five years in prison in 2021 for raping another student in France in 2019. He was also the subject of an expulsion order from the French Republic that remains unfulfilled.
The Moroccan national completed his sentence in June and was temporarily remanded in an administrative detention center. A judge ordered his release earlier this month on the condition he completed regular check-ins with the authorities.
Although he did not engage in criminal activity or threatening behavior during his sentence, shortly before carrying out his second assault, he had disobeyed his release conditions and was placed on a wanted list.
