France should follow Trump's Colombia example in dealing with deportees, Le Pen says

PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said France should follow U.S. President Donald Trump's hardline stance toward countries unwilling to receive deportees, citing his pressure on Colombia as a model for Paris' dealings with Algeria.

The comments by Le Pen, who polls suggest will win France's 2027 presidential election if she is allowed to run, underline how Trump's tougher stance on immigration may come to influence policy in Europe. Although Trump is unpopular in Europe, years of immigration have dragged the continent rightward, leaving many more voters receptive to his once-unthinkable views.

In the latest example of this shift, Germany's opposition conservatives on Wednesday won parliamentary approval for a non-binding proposal to drastically restrict migration with the help of votes from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), breaking a taboo on cooperation with the far-right.

France has also shifted rightward. Conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has made immigration and drug violence his two main concerns, has been struggling to persuade Algeria and Morocco to receive more deportees from France.

In a TV interview aired late on Wednesday, Le Pen said France should be more aggressive toward former colony Algeria, adopting Trump's strategy with Colombia.

Trump threatened to impose crushing tariffs and sanctions on Colombia if it didn't receive deportees, leading to a deal being struck to avoid a trade war.

"I would do exactly what Donald Trump did with Colombia," Le Pen said, adding she would block all money transfers to Algeria and suspend visas for Algerians and their political leaders if it refused to cooperate.

'WEAKNESS'

"There are retaliatory measures that are completely natural," she added. "Why are we showing such weakness with countries that spit in our faces morning, noon and night?"

Le Pen said she had been impressed by Trump's first days in office.

"He made commitments, and in the first days, he came to tell the American people: 'You elected me to do this, I'm going to do it,'" she said. "It's been a long time since we had this feeling in France."

In contrast, Le Pen said Retailleau "talks, talks, talks, but when does he act?... I would like Mr. Retailleau to do much more than he does."

On March 31, judges will decide whether Le Pen should be barred from public office for five years for alleged corruption, in a ruling that could upend French politics.

(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Leigh Thomas; Editing by Gareth Jones)