French Senate Passes Controversial Immigration Bill
France Senate passes controversial immigration bill
The General Assembly of the Senate in France has approved the controversial immigration bill, known as the “Darmanin Law” after Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. The bill was accepted with 214 yes votes and 114 no votes, sparking reactions from both right-wing and left-wing senators.
While right-wing senators celebrated the adoption of the bill with applause, senators from left-wing parties reacted to the result of the vote by whistling. The bill will now be put to a vote in the general assembly of the parliament.
The bill includes several contentious measures, such as imposing work conditions for rental support and family allowances for foreigners living in the country. According to the text of the bill accepted in the Senate, working foreigners will be able to benefit from rental support 3 months after arriving in France, and non-working foreigners will be able to benefit from rent support after 5 years. Similarly, access to family benefits will depend on whether the foreigner has a job, with those who do not have a job having to wait 5 years to access family benefits.
In addition, the bill provides for the issuance of a special residence card for professional groups with a shortage of workers in the country and includes creating immigration quotas. It also stipulates that children of foreign families born in France will need to claim French citizenship between the ages of 16 and 18 and must not have committed a crime before.
The bill has garnered significant opposition, with some members of the cabinet stating they could resign if the bill is accepted in the parliament. Demonstrators who oppose the bill gathered in Invalides Square in Paris, calling for the bill to be abandoned, which they consider “racist.”
Despite the controversy, a mixed commission consisting of 14 parliamentarians in France agreed on a common text on the immigration bill. The bill’s passage in the Senate has set the stage for further debate and scrutiny as it moves through the legislative process.
