Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said the reform represented an “ideological victory” for her party. Image: REUTERS
French parliament approves controversial immigration bill.
Legislation hardening France’s immigration policy was finally passed by the French parliament after months of political bickering.
The moderate Renaissance party of President Emmanuel Macron and the extreme National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen both supported the revised measure.
Mr. Macron was accused by leftists of caving in to the radical right.
The ruling party, however, did not require Ms. Le Pen’s support due to the extremely large majority in the lower house.
In the days leading up to the National Assembly vote, Mr. Macron had already informed his party that he would prefer not to owe them a victory.
According to party sources and participants who spoke with the French news agency AFP, he had previously stated his preference for rereading the bill over allowing it to become law with the support of the RN.
The new law delays migrants’ access to welfare benefits and makes it harder for them to bring family members to France, among other measures.
The far-left and far-right factions of the House of Representatives voted against an earlier version for opposing reasons, hence it never passed.
Critics said it was the most anti-immigration measure France has passed in a long time.
Ms. Le Pen expressed her delight with the revised measure, stating: “We can rejoice in ideological progress, an ideological victory even for the National Rally, since this is now enshrined into law as a national priority.”
The adjustments were also well-received by conservatives. “This is our bill,” remarked Republican Party head Eric Ciotti. The measure was described by him as “firm and courageous” by him.
Members of the left were dissatisfied and accused Mr. Macron of giving the far right a platform.
French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel stated, “We are facing a shift in the history of the republic and its fundamental values” in reference to the passage, which was influenced by anti-immigration RN pamphlets.
The Renaissance party, which Mr. Macron led, which was centrist, lost the June 2022 parliamentary election. Ever since then, the administration has had a hard time gaining support in parliament.