the Defender of Rights sharply criticizes the bill

In a column published on Saturday, Claire Hédon deplores a text which violates the “guarantees currently provided to protect the fundamental rights of strange people”.

The Defender of Rights, Claire Hédon, denounced, Saturday December 9, the “break in the protection of rights and freedoms” what, according to her, the immigration bill entails. This text, toughened by the Senate in November and debated from Monday in the National Assembly, “removes a number of guarantees currently provided to protect the fundamental rights of foreigners”writes Claire Hédon in a column published by The world.

The removal of foreigners would be “very largely left to the discretion of the administration”, which could increase the possibilities of refusal or withdrawal of the right to stay. Of the “extremely short appeal deadlines” would also complicate access to the judge.

The reform, which was initially based on the dual objective of controlling immigration and improving integration, now leans clearly towards the repressive aspect, in the opinion of many observers. “The text supports the idea, however refuted by numerous studies, according to which reception conditions that are ‘too favorable’ would encourage irregular immigration or the lasting settlement of foreigners in the territory”writes the Defender in the forum. “Ubiquitous in the parliamentary debate, this speech pushed the legislator to consider restrictions on numerous rights, particularly for particularly vulnerable people.”

A “lack of human contacts” in the prefectures

Claire Hédon is also concerned about an inversion of the relationship between obtaining a residence permit and integration. The first was originally designed as a guarantee of the second, the Defender essentially recalls. The bill reinforces a situation where a long-term residence permit is issued as a reward for integration deemed successful, she adds.

L’“extreme degradation of the rights of foreigners living in France” is all the stronger as “the failure of prefectural services largely contributes to this”according to Claire Hédon, who castigates the “lack of human interlocutors” and waiting times.