The French Senate has adopted a draft for a much stricter immigration law that, among other things, limits medical care for migrants. Senators voted 210 to 115 on Tuesday in favor of the bill, which will be debated in the National Assembly from December 11.
The version that has now been sent no longer has much to do with the text that the cabinet submitted. President Emmanuel Macron had announced a law that would promote the integration of migrants and make it easier to deport rejected asylum seekers. However, the right-wing majority in the Senate has destroyed the most striking article, according to which migrants working in sectors with a shortage of workers should be granted a residence permit.
Senators also voted to prevent children born in France to foreign parents from automatically receiving French citizenship at the age of 18.
Limited medical care
Under the senators’ draft, medical care for migrants should also be limited to emergency situations. The changes in the Senate led to intense criticism.
Human rights organizations warned against restricting the rights of migrants. In the future, it will also be possible to deport people who were under the age of 13 when they arrived in France, or foreign parents whose children have French nationality. The UN children’s fund UNICEF pointed out a possible conflict with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Right-wing politicians happy
“The Senate has made the draft more coherent again by tightening it,” said Republican group leader Bruno Retailleau. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who comes from the right-wing camp, was satisfied with the result.
It is the government’s second attempt to adopt the text. In March, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne admitted that there was no sign of a majority. It is therefore conceivable that she will again use constitutional paragraph 49.3, which allows the law to be adopted without a final vote by the MPs.
The government would probably survive a subsequent vote of no confidence, but risked damage to its image.
Will Interior Minister Macron inherit?
For Macron it would be the second major reform project, after the pension reform. Darmanin, who takes a tough stance on immigration, is considered a possible candidate to succeed Macron, who can no longer contest the 2027 presidential election.
Source: Krone
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