Back to politics: Macron wants to “significantly reduce immigration” even if France is not “overwhelmed”

BORDERS In an interview with Le Point, Emmanuel Macron considers that “we must reduce immigration, but we must continue to act in parallel 'school, integration, authority, the Republic'

Emmanuel Macron, in Vanuatu on July 27, 2023. — LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL

For his return to politics, Emmanuel Macron has chosen to put everything at the top of his priorities school but also immigration. In an interview at Point, the president advocates in particular “significantly reducing immigration, “ start with illegal immigration.” He thus announces that the government will resume “ ” back to school” his bill on the subject postponed several times for a year, without excluding “”enhance the text” in Parliament.

“Are we overwhelmed by immigration? No. It is wrong to say that. That said, the situation we know is not tenable and we must significantly reduce immigration, to start with illegal immigration. We have an obligation of result”, declares the Head of State in this interview granted. to the weekly, posted on Wednesday.

The “perverted“right of asylum by networks of smugglers”

“To do this, we must better protect our external, European borders, because let us remember, France is not a country of first entry into Europe but above all secondary immigration for foreigners entering through another country of the European Union,” continues Emmanuel Macron. “We must also be more effective in the application of the right to asylum, misguided. through networks of smugglers. It’s at the heart of the draft law. by the government,” he adds.

“In a nutshell yes, we must reduce immigration, but we must continue in parallel to act through the school, integration, authority, the Republic. And the economy. When you have 10% unemployment for years, you’re not integrating,” concludes the president.

On this aspect, the Head of State announces that Gérald Darmanin will resume the immigration bill, whose examination, which had begun this winter in the Senate, has been since postponed to many times. “We are going, with the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, to mandate the Minister of the Interior from the start of the school year to start from the government project, to exchange with all the opposition forces that go in the same direction and build the most effective project possible”. “It’s the Minister who will have to push forward, between the Senate and the Assembly, a text to get results. If for that it is necessary to enrich the text of the government, it will have to build this path with our confidence.” find a majority on this text, the Head of State “thinks” and wishes he could “avoid” to have recourse to 49-3. But, he adds, “I am also in favor of using the instruments of the Constitution. We need result and therefore if such a text was blocked; nothing should be forbidden””.