In a significant setback for President Emmanuel Macron, French MPs rejected his government’s proposed immigration bill on Monday. The motion to reject the bill passed by a slim margin, with 270 votes against and 265 in favour, marking the first such rejection in 25 years.
The initial version of the bill aimed to streamline the deportation process for migrants in irregular situations deemed a threat to public order.
It also sought to allocate more resources to combat smuggling networks, especially in the Mediterranean. However, a contentious provision granting one-year work visas to undocumented migrants in sectors with labor shortages drew strong criticism from conservative and far-right MPs.
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Just moments before the vote, uncertainty loomed over the outcome, but the rejection by a mere five votes concludes any further parliamentary debate. Now, the government faces the decision of whether to redraft the bill in pursuit of a new consensus or abandon it altogether.
This rejection is seen as a significant blow to Macron’s party, as the 2022 elections brought in more far-right and far-left MPs, eroding the government’s majority.
Opposition to the bill has been building, with counter-proposals emerging from the conservative Les Républicains party and the far-right Rassemblement National. While conservative leaders called for a referendum on illegal immigration, Marine Le Pen of Rassemblement National celebrated the defeat and pledged to introduce a new bill focusing on tighter control of irregular migrants.
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On the Left, concerns were voiced about “xenophobic chatter,” with some advocating for unconditional rights for irregular migrants to stay and work in France. However, the government, facing criticism, insists that calls for Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin to resign are a “denial of democracy”.
Despite claims of a migration “wave”, statistics reveal a nuanced reality. Over the past decade, France has welcomed 38,000 Syrian immigrants, a stark contrast to Germany’s intake of 770,000 during the same period. Similarly, Afghan asylum seekers constituted only 11 percent of asylum claims in France since the summer of 2021, compared to Germany’s 34 percent.
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