The National Assembly debated. The political groups have been consulted. The main lines, revealed. But in the long journey of the Immigration bill, the presentation of which has been postponed several times, the hardest part is undoubtedly to come, because the devil is in the details: it is now a question of getting into the lace to satisfy the oppositions… and above all his own. Sacred gymnastics, summed up, as obvious, by the deputy Marc Ferracci, close to the head of state involved in the elaboration of this sensitive text: “The challenge in the coming weeks: to find a majority in the National Assembly for vote this bill, with the support of other parliamentarians, while not generating tensions, divisions, within our own majority.
Spare the goat cheese and the cabbage; in other words and in the first place, the right wing and the left wing of Renaissance. This has been the complex mission of the executive since – at least – the month of July, during which the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt briefed some of his troops on the “regularization of foreign workers” aspect. In short, the “humanity” counterpart of the bill, supposed to strike a balance with the “firmness” dimension. A form of yin and yang all that is most Macronian to ensure unity: “The simple fact that we are in pairs with Gérald Darmanin is an illustration of this, indicates to L’Express the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt. The ‘work’ part of this text is the cement for the left wing of our majority.” Especially when we know that it was not entirely planned originally: “Initially, it was a very Beauvau text, in particular on the facilitation of expulsions”, confirms an adviser to the president of the Republic.
Objective: consensus
Recent history has shown that immigration and integration issues have always been more than sensitive topics in the large blended family of La République en Marche, which was torn in 2018 during the review of the law Asylum immigration carried by Gérard Collomb, with its share of amendments against the government. The first psychodrama of the Macron 1 five-year term. Unthinkable for the executive to relive such shocks. And if the parliamentary group from the presidential party may have slimmed down considerably in June and moved somewhat to the right, would it be more homogeneous and peaceful? “There are more divisions than before, in any case the lines are more assumed, nuance a deputy invested in the co-construction of the Immigration bill. On the left as on the right, everyone wants to organize and be heard .”
To round off the acute angles, Gérald Darmanin and Olivier Dussopt receive their flocks with a vengeance. “I see Gérald in the cafe in the morning, in my office, at lunch, at dinner… I spend my life with him, in fact!” Slips a left-wing deputy, satisfied by the political magnanimity of his host. Beauvau has also surrounded himself with around fifteen parliamentarians from the majority, including the vice-president of the Renaissance group Sylvain Maillard, the former Elysian adviser David Amiel or even the Horizons François Jolivet, to provide them with information and preach the good word of Gérald Darmanin on the sets. Referrers? Better. “Spokespersons for the Ministry of the Interior”, judging by the name of the Telegram loop in which these fourteen elected officials participate. A title that some did not imagine attached to their name a few months ago…
“Make the hyphen”
On the other hand, a working group has been created within the Renaissance group, aiming to interview as many experts as possible (lawyers, demographers, etc.) and seek the best possible common denominators on the text. At its head, a duo of improbable pilots, from the Finance Committee: Stella Dupont, elected from Maine-et-Loire, historical figure of the left wing since 2017, and Mathieu Lefèvre, parliamentarian from Val-de -Marne and, oh surprise, former chief of staff of Darmanin at the Ministry of the Interior.
Suffice to say that the two were not supposed to spin the great love, even less with this theme as a wedding gift. “If they ran for an election for their apple, they absolutely wouldn’t hold the same political discourse, they wouldn’t even be Renaissance,” scoffs one of their comrades from this work group. So much so that the deputy of Moselle Ludovic Mendès, to “make the hyphen”, he says, and represent the commission of the Laws, joined them in the direction. Absolute objective: consensus. Provided that it is not soft, explains Mathieu Lefèvre: “We must develop a political space located between the unconditional reception of foreigners and the great replacement, and to have, finally, a central position which is not a trickle of water lukewarm.” On several points, such as the automatic renewal of “short-term jobs” residence permits, or, more ideologically, the link between immigration and delinquency sometimes exposed by certain members of the right wing, the battle will be fierce between the two currents to adjust the temperature to his liking.