I remember seeing a party of nomads travelling in their horse-drawn caravans in Normandy. I'd say they were true Romanies - though I couldn't tell what language they were speaking.

Every roadside lay-by in France used to have a notice saying No nomads. Whether this was aimed at Romanies, I don't know.

From Wikipedia; In 2009, the government sent more than 10,000 Romani back to Romania and Bulgaria.

In 2009, the European Committee of Social Rights found France had violated the European Social Charter (rights to housing, right to protection against poverty and social exclusion, right of the family to protection) in respect to its Romani population.

In 2010 and 2011, the French government organized repatriation flights to send Romani back to Romania.