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In 1976, the isle of Mayotte chose to remain French and to separate from the rest of the Comoros as soon as independence came. Two cultural and social references now meet: that of metropolitan France and that of the local society inspired from its African and Muslim-Arab origins. Belonging to the overall French sphere a constantly improving standard of living for the Mahorans, whereas the young state of Comoros has experienced incessant political instability and economic crises. These contrasting fortunes stimulate mass illegal migration of Comorean nationals who come to try their chances in Mayotte. The article takes the example of agriculture to show that, far from conforming to the reference represented by metropolitan France, Mahorans and migrants maintain complex working relationships founded on trade relations embedded in dealings of reciprocity. Illegal from France’s point of view, such relations are partially legitimized by the local standards of reference shared by the two communities. However, it is becoming more and more difficult for the innovations produced by the illegal employment market to contain the tensions produced by the sheer size of the migratory flows.