The new immigration law of the French Government, which was presented as “balanced” and which has begun its parliamentary journey these days, has hardened its content. In the first week of debate in the Senate, which concluded this Friday, measures have been approved to facilitate the expulsion of foreigners who have committed crimes, do not respect the values of the Republic or represent a serious threat to the country. Furthermore, the only article that could satisfy the left and the immigrant associations has been decaffeinated: that of the regularization of undocumented people who work in jobs where there is hardly any labor.
The debate started on Monday. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had said that the project sought to “be good to the good and bad to the bad.” The original text contained measures to please left and right. However, day by day the content has been tweaked, making more concessions to the latter, who considered the text to be too lax. On Monday, for example, they voted in favor of withdrawing the State medical assistance device from which those without papers benefited. Instead, there will be emergency medical help.
Expulsions are made easier, the asylum application is complicated and the conditions for family reunification are also toughened. The article that provided for the regularization of people in an illegal situation who work in sectors without labor such as hospitality or construction, has remained minimal.
Now, what has been voted on is that the prefects of each region will assess each case individually, evaluating not only the work that the immigrant performs, but also their integration and whether they respect the values of the Republic. The Republican party, key to the Government to move the text forward in the Assembly, asked for it to be removed. Also the extreme right. It was one of the few concessions to the left, which from the beginning has described the text as excessively restrictive.
One of the priority objectives is facilitate the expulsions of foreigners who have committed crimes. To do this, the protections that some benefit from and that prevented them from being fired will be eliminated. This is the case of those who are under 13 years old when they arrive in French territory, for example.