As such he has boosted the numbers of illegal immigrants forcibly repatriated from France, extended the network of detention centres (established also outside the larger conurbations in smaller cities such as Blois) and modified the rights of individuals and organizations which visit them.

He believes that France has a right to expel or welcome immigrants on a discretionary basis, citing as evidence the high unemployment and criminality rates of foreigners.

As he declared in the newspaper Le Parisien on 8 November 2007: "France has the right to choose which immigrants it can accommodate... Let's muster the courage to face our problems!

A circular emanating from his office (chief of staff : Michel Bart) on 5 August 2010, specifically mentioning an ethnic criterion for these deportations provoked the ire of ministerial colleagues such as Éric Besson and the European commissioner, Viviane Reding.

An eirenic exchange with Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, the President of the French Bishops' Conference, representing contrasting reactions within the Catholic community, also ensued.

As part of a reorganization of the UMP's leadership under their chairman Jean-François Copé in January 2013, Hortefeux became – alongside Christian Estrosi, Henri de Raincourt, Jean-Claude Gaudin, Roger Karoutchi and Gérard Longuet – one of the party’s six vice-presidents.

[4] Ahead of the 2022 presidential elections, Hortefeux publicly declared his support for Valérie Pécresse as the Republicans’ candidate[5] and joined her campaign team as special adviser on institutional reform.

As he posed for a photograph with a young man of Arabic origin, the following conversation can be heard (translation): Female voice – He is Catholic, he eats pork and drinks beer!