May 5, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Benefits for those who entered the country illegally – The French Constitutional Court overturned half of the articles of the anti-immigration law


France’s Constitutional Court has struck down much of its immigration legislation, including measures passed in December under right-wing pressure, declaring them unconstitutional.

A month after parliament’s sporadic approval of the law, the nine members of the Constitutional Council, which reviews the constitutionality of laws, suspended most of the measures, effectively handing over the taxpayer-funded welfare state to anyone who simply crossed the border!

But, of course, judges do not forget that illegal immigrants are “cheap labor”, and so they will be allowed to stay legally when they say they can’t find workers (they forgot to say they can’t find low-wage workers). We are talking about limiting social benefits for non-European foreigners, tightening criteria for family reunification and “return clause” for students back home.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Platform X that “the Constitutional Council has ratified the law in its entirety” and that the government is taking into account “the deletion of several articles that were added in parliament because parliamentary procedure was not followed.”

The exception was expected, and for some in the government desirable, since, by Darmanen’s own admission, many articles “clearly contradicted the constitution.”

On the contrary, the president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardela, called it “a judicial coup with the support of the President of the Republic himself.” “The immigration law is stillborn. The only solution is an immigration referendum,” – insists Bardela, who called “ideological victory” adoption of the text by parliament.

According to the decision of the Constitutional Council, 35 of the 86 articles of the bill are completely or partially repealed. The judges ruled that 32 of them had no place in the migration bill but could be reintroduced into other bills.

“Today we won”, said Amnesty International President Jean-Claude Chamouillet. Other organizations, groups and trade unions also condemned the law, which “violates the rights of people in exile”. Left Party Coordinator “Rise of France” said the crippled law had no legitimacy and the government should withdraw it.

The measure extending the period during which a non-European must reside in France in order to be entitled to certain benefits (family, housing, etc.) has been completely repealed. The same applies to tightening the criteria for family reunification (the immigrant will have to reside permanently in France for 24 months instead of 18), “return clauses” for foreign students and the abolition of automatic citizenship for children born in France.

However, the bill retains some measures that the government has promoted, such as making it easier to deport convicted foreigners. The article on the legalization of illegal immigrants employed in sectors where there is a shortage of personnel was also confirmed.

Last weekend, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in France against the law.



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