Ius soli under siege: a comparative analysis of France and the United States
Journal: Comparative Migration Studies
Year: 2025

Abstract This article examines the recent restrictive shift in ius soli in France and the United States, focusing on the 2025 reforms enacted in the French island of Mayotte and through President Trump’s executive order. While officially framed as neutral policy responses to migratory pressures, we argue that these measures rely on the instrumentalisation of the so-called “magnet affect” of ius soli – a claim with a weak empirical basis that has been mobilised to legitimise restrictive changes i