Bodies at the border: the medical protection of immigrants in a French immigration detention centre

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork performed in a French immigration detention centre, this article analyses the complex dynamics of medical protection for detained immigrants who face deportation, but who may not be removed if they suffer from a serious illness that cannot be properly treated in their country of origin. These detainees' bodies may be subject to the physical constraint involved in deportation, while being entitled to a residence permit if this body proves to be gravely ill after official medical examination. This article describes the complex social logic - involving both legal and medical expertise - behind the production of such protection. This displays complex bio-political struggles over medical protection, calling into question the description of humanitarianism as apolitical, and the definition of the immigration detention centre as an exceptional device placed outside the political order.