Several political leaders, favorable or opposed to the bill defended by the government of Elisabeth Borne, debated Thursday evening on France 2.
A long-awaited text, presented as “balance” by the government and deeply divisive. The immigration bill is one of the most sensitive reforms of Emmanuel Macron’s second five-year term. And while the Senate examines these different measures this week, toughening some of them, different political leaders debated, Thursday, November 9, on France 2, during the program “L’Evénement”.
Here are the five highlights of these two hours of debate on France’s migration policy.
Gérald Darmanin’s position on state medical aid
As part of the examination of the text, the right-wing senators obtained the transformation of state medical aid (AME). The new system intends to reduce the basket of care currently granted to people in an irregular situation. On France 2, the Minister of the Interior declared that he was not “not favorable” to this reduction. “I found it normal that we could ask questions to possibly transform it, because there are abuses, explained the Minister of the Interior. Obviously we need to treat anyone who is sick.” Gérald Darmanin nevertheless questioned himself: “Is this the right device?”
Later, environmentalist senator Yannick Jadot criticized the abolition of the AME. “We are building a health bomb in our country”judged the former presidential candidate.
François Ruffin’s charge against Jordan Bardella on the defense of undocumented workers
One of the most debated points of the bill is the aspect of regularization of undocumented workers in professions in shortage. Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, is against it. “We want to carry the ambition of revaluing manual sectors”, insisted the MEP, emphasizing the question of salary increases. François Ruffin responded on the defense of workers. “When I fight over the status of cleaners, in the National Assembly, I don’t have the people of the RN to fight over it. (…) I don’t have Jordan Bardella by my side to fight these battles.”the MP for La France insoumise told him.
Marion Maréchal’s firm response to an undocumented worker
On the France 2 set, Ibrahima-Kalil, a 34-year-old undocumented Guinean worker, recounted his experience. “From Monday to Saturday, I work” in the logistics sector, he explained, asking for regularization. “Without undocumented workers, it would be very difficult,” he assured the guests, before telling them: “Let them get up at 4 a.m. to see if there is a Frenchman.”
Strongly opposed to the regularization of undocumented workers, Marion Maréchal turned to him: “I have nothing against you”swept aside the vice-president of the far-right Reconquest party. “In your country, as in ours, there are rules, there are laws. (…) For a person like you, there is the risk of bringing in people who are much more dangerous”estimated the former MP, recalling that he had nevertheless violated the law to enter France.
The emotion of the mother of a victim of a terrorist who should have been deported
Pascale Harel, whose daughter Laura was killed in October 2017 on the square in front of Saint-Charles stationspoke to challenge elected officials. The perpetrator of the stabbing was shot dead by soldiers from Operation Sentinel. Ahmed Hanachi was Tunisian. “VSThis should not happen again. Politics really makes me smile… In six years, nothing has been put in place.”she pointed out, disillusioned, about the obligations to leave French territory (OQTF).
In turn, Secretary of State Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, LFI deputy François Ruffin and Les Républicains deputy Aurélien Pradié tried with difficulty to respond to him, clarifying their position so that this tragedy does not happen again. “Obviously we must be stronger. All delinquents, all murderers must be expelled from our territory”launched Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, assuring that with the immigration bill, the man would have been placed in a detention center.
The debate around a possible modification of the Constitution
Should the Constitution be amended to better control immigration? This is what Aurélien Pradié supports. The LR deputy from Lot wants to allow the Constitution “to be armed to stand up to European law” And “reaffirm the primacy of our rules”. Laure Lavalette then took the floor to defend a similar idea, denouncing “the blackmail of the European Union”. “Once Marine Le Pen has won, we will regain control because we will have voted for a revision of the Constitution, where we will have included all the legal tools which will make it possible to stop immigration.supported the National Rally MP.
On set, other officials opposed this idea, while Emmanuel Macron explained to the political parties that he was open to the idea of resorting to a referendum on this question of immigration.