France's new immigration law: a fateful turnaround?
France's National Assembly has passed a law that tightens the country's immigration law. To secure the required majority for the amendments, the government made significant concessions to the demands of conservative MPs. This left the government camp divided, with some refusing to vote in favour and Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau resigning in protest. Europe's press is dismayed.
The end of a myth
France is betraying itself, laments Corriere della Sera:
“The abolition of jus soli in France marks the end of a world. A world built not by the left, but by the republican right. For General De Gaulle, anyone who identified with a set of values could become French. ... It is also a renunciation of a particular conception of France: as a land of asylum, home of human rights, the firstborn daughter of both the Catholic Church and the goddess of reason. ... Perhaps just a myth. ... But the history of nations is also made up of myths.”
Politically adrift
With great concern, Le Soir comments:
“The end of the automatic jus soli principle, the restriction of family reunification, a waiting period for the receipt of social benefits for legal immigrants – this is a spectacular turnaround that France, considered the land of universalism until now, is making. ... The country is in a disconcerting phase of uncertainty. There is a prevailing sense that nothing is under control any more. National Rally leader Jordan Bardella as prime minister in the event of the dissolution of parliament? ... This would be a nightmare, but it would correspond to democratic logic if the far right were to win this election.”
Macron opening the door for the right
The taz's correspondent in France, Rudolf Balmer, sees an ideological breach:
“In practice, there has been a political consensus that spans from Macron's center through the conservative right to the Le Penists. ... The fact that Macron allowed this or even orchestrated it behind the scenes is an expression of boundless opportunism devoid of all principles. He was elected in 2017 and 2022 (with many votes from the left) because he promised to combat and prevent the rise to power of the far right. Now, he is the one opening the door for them.”
Collective punishment
Jurist Darko Adamovic expresses frustration in La Croix:
“Our beautiful country, France, whose universal values and openness to the world constitute its strength, seems to be joining the camp of conservative countries. The text, adopted with the help of votes from the right and far right, punishes people who are already vulnerable, support our economic system, and contribute to France's global radiance. ... In essence, it is a collective punishment based on the spread of irrational fears and unfiltered, false or accurate information that has never been examined or explained.”
Almost as extreme as London
With this tighter migration law, Macron is hurting his own interests, says The Guardian:
“On Tuesday night, a raft of centre-right amendments turned a much delayed and relatively anodyne government immigration bill into a laundry list of rightwing slogans. Most of those amendments are unpleasant and pointless rather than nasty. They are impractical gestures to appeal to hard-right opinion, similar to but not as extreme as the UK government’s Rwanda policy.”