A deal to toughen French immigration laws agreed by a group of lawmakers on Tuesday was threatening to fracture President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist majority, with members of the left wing of his party announcing they would vote against it.
Quick Read
- Immigration Law Deal in France: A group of lawmakers reached a deal to tighten French immigration laws.
- Potential Fracture in Macron’s Party: President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist majority is at risk of fracturing, with left-wing members opposing the deal.
- Emergency Meeting at Elysee Palace: Macron held an emergency meeting with his prime minister and parliamentary leaders amid rumors of ministerial resignations.
- Shift in Policy Focus: The government initially planned a balanced approach to immigration law but shifted towards stricter measures to gain right-wing support.
- Content of the Deal: The deal includes delayed access to welfare benefits for non-EU migrants, migration quotas, stricter naturalization rules, and possible citizenship revocation for dual nationals committing serious crimes.
- Reaction from Far-Right: Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, endorsed the bill, causing embarrassment for Macron’s left-wing members.
- Uncertainty in Parliament: It’s unclear if the bill will pass, with some left-wing members vowing to vote against it.
- Conservative Party’s Claim: The conservative Les Republicains party claims the bill aligns closely with their stance.
- Potential Impact on Macron’s Mandate: The internal dissent could weaken Macron’s hold on parliament and complicate his presidency.
- Prime Minister’s Defense: Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne argued the bill would improve the efficiency of asylum processes and expedite the expulsion of criminal or radicalized foreigners.
- Wider European Trend: The deal reflects a broader trend in Europe towards stricter immigration policies.
Reuters has the story:
Tougher French immigration deal threatens Macron’s parliament majority
Newslooks- PARIS (Reuters)
A deal to toughen French immigration laws agreed by a group of lawmakers on Tuesday was threatening to fracture President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist majority, with members of the left wing of his party announcing they would vote against it.
The deal – which needs to be confirmed by the two houses of parliament later on Tuesday – illustrates the rightward shift in politics in much of Europe, as governments try to fend off the rise of the far-right by being tougher on immigration.
An emergency meeting at the Elysee Palace between Macron, his prime minister and the heads of the presidential coalition in parliament was being held, the palace said, as speculation about ministers threatening to resign swirled in French media.
The French government had initially said this would be a carrot-and-stick legislation that would make it easier for migrants working in sectors that lack labour to get a residency permit, but would also make it easier to expel illegal migrants.
In order to gain support from the right, however, the government agreed to water down the residency permits measures, while delaying migrants’ access to welfare benefits – including benefits for children and housing allowances – by several years.
The French have long prided themselves on having one of the most generous welfare systems in the world, granting payments even to foreign residents, helping them pay rent or care for their children with means-tested monthly contributions of up to a few hundred euros.
The far right and, more recently, conservatives, have argued these should be reserved for French people only. The deal agreed on Tuesday would delay access to housing benefits for unemployed non-EU migrants by five years.
The compromise also introduces migration quotas, makes it harder for immigrants’ children to become French, and says that dual nationals sentenced for serious crimes against the police could lose French citizenship.
The deal, agreed by a special committee of seven senators and seven deputies, was initially good news for Macron, who had made the migration bill a key plank of his second mandate and could otherwise have had to shelve it.
Just six months before European Parliament elections in which immigration will be key, however, it could also boost Marine Le Pen who, sensing a political opportunity, called the rejigged bill “a great ideological victory” for her far-right party.
She announced her party would vote for the bill in the lower house, causing immense embarrassment to the left wing of Macron’s party, who find it unpalatable to vote in unison with the far right.
VOCAL REPRESENTATIVES
One of the most vocal representatives of Macron’s left wing in parliament, Sacha Houlie, will vote against the bill, his entourage told Reuters. But it was not clear whether they would garner enough votes to prevent it from passing.
“It’s the moment of truth,” Patrick Vignal, a lawmaker in Macron’s party told Reuters.
The conservative Les Republicains, who have over the years hardened their discourse closer to that of the far-right, also claimed victory, saying the bill was essentially theirs.
Macron won his two presidential mandates in 2017 and 2022 when voters rallied behind him to bar Le Pen from winning and left-wing MPs said the rejigged migration bill was a betrayal of promises made to fend off far-right ideas.
The rebels in Macron’s party could further weaken his hold on parliament and potentially complicate the rest of his mandate.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told parliament that the bill “will make our system more efficient because it will drastically simplify our procedures for processing asylum applications, (and) because it will make it possible to expel criminal or radicalised foreigners more quickly”.
Other governments across Europe are opting for tougher migration policies.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Saturday that he would push for global reforms to the asylum system, warning the threat of growing number of refugees could “overwhelm” parts of Europe.
