The French parliament recently approved a law that places restrictions on Nigerian students and others, preventing them from bringing their families into the country.
The legislation, supported by President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, faced initial rejection last week. Subsequently, the government revised the bill, making certain provisions more stringent.
The updated immigration policy increases the difficulty for migrants to bring family members to France and delays their access to welfare benefits.
Additionally, it prohibits the detention of minors in detention centers, though leaders of a third of French regions expressed their unwillingness to comply with certain measures in the law.
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A contentious aspect of the law discriminates between citizens and migrants, even those legally residing in the country, when determining eligibility for benefits. The revised version garnered support from right-wing parties, with Marine Le Pen describing it as an “ideological victory” for the far-right.
Eric Ciotti, leader of the right-wing Republican party, praised the bill as “firm and courageous.”
However, critics from the left accused Macron of enabling the far-right, with Socialist party leader Olivier Faure stating that history would remember those who betrayed their convictions.
Notably, 32 of France’s 101 departments, including Paris, declared their refusal to implement certain benefit-related provisions of the law.
The French parliament’s vote took place just before an EU agreement aimed at reforming the asylum system across the bloc’s 27 member states.
The new pact, which includes the creation of border detention centers and facilitating quicker deportation of rejected asylum seekers, received approval from EU governments and European Parliament members.
Despite being hailed as a landmark agreement, it still awaits formal approval from both the Parliament and member states.
The approval of the French legislation revealed divisions within the governing alliance, with 27 MPs voting against it, and 32 abstaining.
Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau resigned in protest at the immigration law, citing discomfort with certain measures.
The president of the lower house of parliament and Macron’s party member, Yaël Braun-Pivet, also expressed unease with some aspects of the law.
The government, emphasizing its majority, argued that it did not depend on National Rally votes for the bill to pass.
The prime minister acknowledged that some measures in the law might face constitutional scrutiny and pledged to seek the opinion of the Constitutional Council.
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