The Constitutional Council finally rejected a third of the Immigration bill this Thursday, January 25. Three articles are contested on the substance, thirty-two on the form. The right and the far right denounce this decision. As expected, the text which will finally be ratified will therefore not be the one which was voted on with the votes of the right and the extreme right. Finally, what remains of this law?
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This is a return to almost square one for Immigration law. The text which will be promulgated retains the balancing structure initially desired by the government, with on one side a large section of simplification of procedures for expelling delinquent foreigners, and on the other, this famous article on regularization by prefects of undocumented workers in professions in shortage. Also validated, the establishment of a condition of respect for the principles of the Republic, a sort of employment contract, which any applicant for a residence permit must sign.
On the other hand, most of the measures that the right had imposed in the text are falling by the wayside, and this is rather good news for the rebellious MP Andrée Taurinya: “ The restriction on family reunification, allowances, deposits on foreigners, land rights, all of that is censored! So, we will still say to ourselves that we are happy. »
The French right denounces a “scandalous” decision
But the big loser today is the right. Laurent Wauquiez, expected to represent the LR in the next presidential election, in the newspaper The Parisian denounces a “ coup d’état “. Éric Ciotti, the head of the party, adds by evoking a “ democratic hold-up “. As for François-Xavier Bellamy, the head of the LR list for Europeans, the story is similar: “ It is a failure for France. Because this law was not only passed by Parliament thanks to the work of elected Republican representatives, but it was also – and all the surveys have shown this – very widely approved by the French, and this only confirms this. that we have been asking for a long time with the Republicans, that a referendum finally give the French people a voice, so that France can regain control of its migration policy. »The Republicans are now demanding a new text, with censored measures and a modification of the Constitution, like the far right.
Reactions which did not leave the President of the Constitutional Council Laurent Fabius unmoved since on France Inter, he recalled that the institution was “not not there to provide political services ” but ” a legal decision “. “It is still very specific, including in History, to consider that those who are responsible, under the Constitution, for stating the law, are carrying out a coup d’état against the law,” he said. commented. “ I don’t want to make a historical parallel, but in general, when we develop this kind of statement, it makes us think », added the former socialist Prime Minister.
Ultimately, Emmanuel Macron is the big winner of this political moment. The government is preparing to promulgate the text “in the coming hours” to apply the first measures “from this weekend”, the Minister of the Interior indicated on TF1.
“A victory” for unions and associations
Human rights associations, unions and undocumented migrant groups met when the Sages’ decision was announced on Thursday February 25. For them, it is a first victory. “ We have just received the decision of the Constitutional Council which censors 32 articles of this bill. » Applause, but no question of putting away the banners. “ It’s a victory tonight “, declared the president of the NGO Amnesty International, Jean-Claude Samouiller, who said that the NGO will remain vigilant to ensure that the censored part of the text “ don’t come back through the window “, he added.
For Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the CGT, the decision of the Sages is “ a snub for the government and excellent news for our democracy and our Republic “. The CFDT, for its part, considers that even if censored, the law “remains unacceptable”. The first union organization said in a press release “ regret the executive’s choice to see this legislative process through to the end, whatever the cost “.
Éléonore Schmitt, spokesperson for the Student Union, campaigned for the withdrawal of the deposit for foreign students. It’s done, but the threat is not over yet: “ To come to France, he had to give a certain amount which would only be returned if he left the territory, well at the end of his studies. So it’s a relief that it’s removed. There are still a whole bunch of measures that will be applied, even though they are measures that are xenophobic and racist. We are calling for people not to stop mobilizing, to obtain the withdrawal of this law and to put an end to the extreme right-wing of power. »
But the battle is not over since the opponents want the entire text to be withdrawn. A third of the law repealed is not enough for Frédérique Aïdad, a teacher who went on strike for the occasion. In her class, she welcomes children who have just arrived in France. This text is an extra blow: “ I have lots of students who are traumatized by the laws that exist. Students who, to arrive in this country, to join their families, were forced to board small boats, saw people drown, were imprisoned in detention centers in Libya financed by the European Union. And that’s what I see and what I can’t stand. » For them, therefore, the fight is not over. A new mobilization against the immigration law is planned for February 3, 2024.
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