Paris, November 6 (Prensa Latina) The French Senate will today begin debate on a government-sponsored draft of a new immigration law, an initiative that would speed up deportations in irregular circumstances.
The polarization of the country and the context of the terrorist threat following the murder of Professor Dominique Bernard in Arras last month by a radicalized person with rejected asylum rights set the stage for discussions on a text that will be presented in December to the National Assembly.
The government, with the voice of the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, expressed its interest in enforcing the law not through the application of Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows the adoption of projects without a parliamentary vote, but rather the future of the initiative of a governing party that has the absolute majority lost in the assembly is uncertain.
At the moment, the fight seems to be centered on Article Three, which provides for a renewable visa for workers without regular conditions in the country for professions that are in “stress” due to labor shortages, a point that the traditional right rejects.
The day before, in statements to public television (France2), Darmanin defended the new law, saying it would protect the country from “criminal foreigners” and take into account those who want to “integrate.”
On the eve of the start of discussions in the Senate, the chairman insisted that the text would provide a safeguard against irregular immigration and human traffickers.
Likewise, he assured that the project is fair in content and based on the principle of “not putting everyone in the same bag”, with the desire to listen to those who want to “integrate, work with the Marseillaise and vibrate with it”.
The initiative promises to be controversial, given pressure from the right to take a tough line on immigration policy in the face of the terrorist threat and from sectors that support people’s right to a better life.
jf/wmr