Paris -  “We know we can change a life,” confides Marine, one of the hundreds of agents mandated by the French state to examine the asylum applications of migrants.
This is a heavy responsibility for these officers—often young— brought to light by a surprisingly successful film, 'L’Histoire de Souleymane'.

Souleymane, a bike delivery man, races through Paris to earn money with one obsession in mind: to succeed in his asylum interview and start a better life away from Guinea.

Like the hero of this award-winning film in the 'Un Certain Regard' section at the Cannes Film Festival, more than 145,000 people in 2023 hoped to secure this precious ticket granted by the approximately 500 agents working at the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra), based in the Paris region.

Whether temporary or permanent staff, with a starting salary of around 1,900 euros net per month, these protection officers, who are on average 32 years old, listen to life stories that are always tumultuous, sometimes fabricated, often traumatic, even unspeakable.

During these interviews, which can last from 40 minutes to over two hours, often with the presence of translators, they write a decision that will be validated by their superiors.

An “emotionally exhausting” experience deeply rooted in a stark reality, these protection officers, all barely 30 years old and under confidentiality agreement, tell AFP anonymously about their roles, having recently left the administration.

"A woman accompanied by her child, born as a result of a rape during her migration journey, and her husband “ashamed for not having been able to do anything,” a father fleeing persecution because of his disability, an Afghan speaking about his homosexuality for the first time: “We all have ghost cases that haunt us,” shares Marine , whose first job after political science studies was with Ofpra.

“You have to be empathetic but also set boundaries and maintain perspective. You can't get carried away by your subjectivity, even though it never completely disappears,” adds the young woman, trained in only two months at Ofpra.

Like her colleagues, prior to being hired,  a check was run to ensure that she had no conflict of interest with any nationality. After a month of observation and theoretical courses, she conducted her own meetings, armed with the precious “doctrine”—a document detailing the situation of each country, often cited by agents to remind them that every decision is always framed.

“The probationary period lasts six months, enough time to see if we can handle it and maintain the right distance,” recalls Sandro, marked by this experience where he saw the world’s conflicts unfold before his eyes through the fifteen nationalities he was responsible for.

- No Quotas -

Not all stories of suffering, no matter how difficult, will result in a protection measure, which represents only one-third of the decisions made by Ofpra.

This is mainly because they do not meet the criteria established by the Geneva Convention, which defines a refugee as anyone who fears persecution in their country of origin “due to their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinions.”

“A negative response is an integral part of our work, it’s tough, but it’s this rigor that ensures this right is upheld for a long time, I hope,” emphasizes Marine.

“When someone receives protection, I think it’s thanks to me, and when there is a refusal, to protect myself, I tell myself it’s not me who sets the rules,” adds Sandro.

Ofpra has no quotas, though nationals from certain so-called safe countries are much less likely to be protected, protection officers note.

“It’s in these cases that you have to be careful not to fall into routine and not become a robot,” says Sonia, who “loved her job but couldn’t have done it for very long.”

It’s also common to hear fabricated stories, all identical, paid to smugglers to meet the criteria - just like the hero of 'L'Histoire de Souleymane'  - a tendency which exasperates agents.

Misleading claims are easily detectable but migrants use them because they have no other way to get asylum, the officers told AFP.

Nonetheless, all of them talk about the fear of having made the wrong decision in complex cases, not having granted a protection measure for very shy candidates that would have deserved to be explored further.

“When you no longer realize the importance of every decision you make, then it’s time to stop,” insists Marine. On average, a protection officer stays at Ofpra for 4 years.

By Estelle Emonet

Infographic by Jonathan Walter

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