French authorities plan to introduce a new immigration law next year, according to government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon. The right-wing government aims to strengthen immigration controls and border policies in response to growing political pressure.
This move comes after the legislative elections earlier this year, which resulted in a hung parliament and further fueled debates around immigration.
The new law, expected to be submitted to parliament in early 2025, is part of a broader effort to address concerns about undocumented migrants, especially following the tragic case of a Paris student who was raped and murdered in September.
The suspect in the case is a Moroccan national, intensifying the national debate on migration.
As part of the proposed reforms, the government is considering extending the detention period for undocumented migrants deemed dangerous, potentially increasing the maximum period from 90 to 210 days, a measure currently reserved for terrorist offenses.
“We don’t rule out the possibility of considering other provisions”, said Bregeon, adding that there should be “no taboos when it comes to protecting the French.”
Last December, France already passed an immigration law.
The bill was hardened to gain the support of the far-right and right-wing MPs.
But the country’s highest constitutional authority censured most of the new amendments which were dropped before President Emmanuel Macron signed it into law.
The measures struck down by the Constitutional Council “will serve as a basis for the new immigration bill”, a government source told AFP. “Some of them could be modified and there will be additions.”
The most hardline member of the government, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, has vowed to crack down on immigration. He has stirred controversy just days into the job, saying that “the rule of law is neither intangible nor sacred”.
Retailleau, who previously headed the Republican party in the Senate, was seen as the driving force behind the tough legislation last year.
He wants to reinstate the offense of illegal residence, among other measures.
Gabriel Attal, Barnier’s predecessor and now leader in parliament of Macron’s Renaissance party, said on Monday that a new law on immigration did not seem a “total priority.”
“Adopting a law for the sake of a law makes no sense,” he told broadcaster France inter.
He said “the priority is to act so that the state can truly control who enters and leaves” France.
AFP
