Nearly 1,000 people thought to pose security risks have been denied entry into France since stepped-up border controls were imposed ahead of the COP21 climate talks on November 13, just hours before the Paris attacks, the interior minister said Saturday, reports Yahoo! News.
They were prevented from entering France "because of the risk these people could represent for public order and security in our country," Bernard Cazeneuve said during a visit to the northeastern city of Strasbourg.
He said nearly 15,000 police, gendarmes and customs agents have been deployed to the borders.
The aim of the boosted controls is to enable the authorities to reinforce security as the COP21 climate talks officially get under way in Paris on Monday and also to confront the high terrorist threat level facing the country, Cazeneuve said, adding that they would make any necessary arrests.