Bruno Retailleau, the new Minister of the Interior, has made immigration control his main objective. Since his appointment, he has made several shocking declarations, even if it means stepping on the toes of the National Rally and causing unease in the central bloc. Is Bruno Retailleau going too far?
Bruno Retailleau “made” by Bruno Retailleau. What has changed is his position. Before, he spoke as president of the Republican group of the Senate, he was little known to the French. Now he speaks as Minister of the Interior. And in a new government of second-rates, he is the only minister to act as a heavyweight. It is therefore the platform which gives more resonance to his declarations because fundamentally, Bruno Retailleau always defends the same positions on immigration. For him, he said it again recently: “ Immigration is not an opportunity “.
What he wants is to make France less attractive to migrants. Symbols of this requirement: the transformation of state medical aid (AME) into emergency medical aid (AMU), a means of reducing the care provided for undocumented immigrants or the tightening of the conditions for family reunification . A senator from the center describes it as “ haunted by the great replacement “.
Are these positions unanimous in the government?
For ministers from the “macronie”, Bruno Retailleau is the incarnation of a hard, conservative right, with which they share nothing. But a member of the government from the presidential camp nevertheless notes that Bruno Retailleau is “ more moderate » on immigration in government meetings and when he speaks in the media. She even adds that the Minister of the Interior has “ a depth of reflection that does not appear in his public speaking engagements “. A way of implying that his statements are part of a communication strategy.
Does Bruno Retailleau play a role?
In any case, he builds a character, believes a Macronist who knows him well, according to whom since his arrival in government, Bruno Retailleau “ wants to impose itself, embody a break from Gérald Darmanin », his predecessor places Beauvau. The real break would be, according to a central bloc official, to have results on the obligations to leave French territory, the OQTF, which are very poorly applied. Concrete, unlike the announcement made of a new immigration law for the beginning of 2025, which this official believes, doubtfully, is mainly aimed at sending a “ signal » to a part of the opinion, that which voted RN, but has little chance of being adopted. For the moment, Bruno Retailleau is therefore going far in the speech. Question: how far will he go in actions?
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