The National Assembly adopted by 270 votes to 265 a motion for prior rejection of the immigration bill, with the votes of the left, Les Républicains deputies and the National Rally, inflicting a very heavy political defeat on the government. This motion was defended by the environmental group.
The adoption of the motion to reject results in the interruption of examination of the text even before the substantive articles are discussed. The government can now choose to let the text continue its legislative journey in the Senate or in a joint committee bringing together deputies and senators, or decide to abandon it.
The majority hopes that the government will “pursue” and refute the idea of “disavowal”
For Erwan Balanant, the deputy for Finistère Démocrate (MoDem and Independents), this rejection motion adopted “is not a disavowal”. He believes that not debating is “refuse the obstacle”. This rejection “is far from the ethics of responsibility when one is elected”he adds. “I note that it is the coalition from the extreme left to the extreme right via the Republicans so as not to debatebelieves the MP. I find this to be quite worrying on a subject that deserves debate. We have the right to disagree. OI have the right to have differences but I believe that the debate is necessary, it was expected by the French.”
“All I want is for the government to continue, because it can do so, in its desire to provide answers to the immigration problem”reacted for his part the president of the Horizons group (party of Edouard Philippe) Laurent Marcangeli, member of the majority. “It is our responsibility to resevere and succeed in what the French ask of us”reacted on franceinfo the Renaissance MP Stella Dupont. “We are in a relative majority, so when the oppositions form an alliance, the texts do not pass, including when the oppositions have totally opposing visions”she regrets, “this is very damaging for our democracy”.
“Gérald Darmanin did the job”, estimates on franceinfo Patrick Vignal, Renaissance deputy for Hérault. According to him, the vote this Monday afternoon can be explained in particular by the Les Républicains group: “Olivier Marleix has a hatred against Emmanuel Macron and Gerald Darmanin and as for Eric Ciotti, he wants to pick the pockets of Marine Le Pen, but his arms are not long enough”, he tackles. He adds, “I want to say to my LR colleagues, who have been explaining to me the value of work for years: this evening, they have gone astray”in reference to the refusal of LRs to accept the measure which proposes to grant residence permits in professions in shortage.
“Many parliamentarians who for months and months have been asking for a debate on immigration have just deprived themselves of the debate,” for his part castigated the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt.
National gathering: “An extremely powerful disavowal”, believes Marine Le Pen
“We protected the French from a migratory pull”, said Marine Le Pen, president of the National Rally group, speaking to journalists. It is “an extremely powerful disavowal”, said the former presidential candidate. The president of the RN group in the National Assembly declared that this law was a law “pro-immigration”, “we can therefore only rejoice in this”. Marine Le Pen also said she will file “as of tomorrow a bill”, “to modify a certain number of articles” in order to “facilitate the expulsion of foreign offenders who are present and protected for the moment on our territory”.
“Gérald Darmanin sins by inaction, by omission and by distortion. His bill does not contain any major measures to regain control”reacts on X the president of the RN Jordan Bardella. In a functioning democracy, he would resign. Emmanuel Macron must now organize a referendum on immigration.”
“It’s an extraordinary defeat for the government”, rejoiced on franceinfo Julien Odoul, spokesperson for the National Rally. For the RN deputy, “the motion to reject is a democratic tool which is available to parliamentarians if they wish to reject a text” . He adds that “it is not up to the government to give us lessons in debate and democracy given its policy and its 49-3 method. It has been activating it 20 times and it has contempt for national representation “.
The Republicans: Éric Ciotti calls for a return to the text voted by the Senate
“We want to debate and adopt in its entirety, without additions or modifications, the text adopted by the Senate”declared Éric Ciotti, the leader of the Republicans as he left the chamber, after the adoption of the motion for prior rejection of the immigration bill. “The government text, as it was modified by the Law Commission with pressure from the left wing of the majority, could in no way respond to the migratory challenge.” Eric Ciotti defended a position of “consistency”. He specifies that the LR deputies “[ont] voted for this rejection motion not to interrupt the debates on an essential subject, but so that they continue on a much more credible basis than that which had been taken by the majority by unraveling the Senate text, and by refusing our proposal of constitutional law”.
“Your government allowed the Senate’s firm text to be trampled on in committee”launched the boss of the LR group Olivier Marleix to Gérlad Darmanin. “The presidential majority only gets what it deservesreacts on X Bruno Retailleau, the president of the LR group in the Senate. By unraveling in the Law Committee the Senate version which had toughened the government text, the Macronist deputies gave the signal that this law would be of no use. Therefore, why debate a useless text.”
On franceinfo, Philippe Gosselin, LR deputy for Manche, believes that this is a “snub for the government” And “also a personal snub for Gérard Darmanin, who was involved, who was committed.” “We have always fought regularizations, that of François Mitterrand, that of Lionel Jospin, we obviously could not vote for such a text”reacted for his part Pierre-Henri Dumont, the LR deputy for the 7th constituency of Pas-de-Calais, spokesperson for the Republicans in the National Assembly and deputy secretary general of the Republicans.
Socialist Party: Gérald Darmanin “must draw conclusions”, believes Olivier Faure
The Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin is “disavowed” And “must draw conclusions”estimates Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party. “It is time to work on a bill consistent with Republican principles”adds the boss of the PS, who emphasizes that “foreigners cannot be presented as suspects” and that Emmanuel Macron was elected “to be a dike to the RN”.
“Today we have a government which is faced with its own contradictionsexplained the First Secretary of the PS on franceinfo, the government explains that it is for a balance, a ‘at the same time’ and it has not been able to find it”. For Olivier Faure, “the search for compromise” existed “exclusively with the Republicans who passed the buck on him by telling him that it was not enough.”
Europe Écologie-Les Verts: “The government must abandon this text”, believes Marine Tondelier
“The immigration bill would have changed nothing in the daily lives of the French but does a lot of harm to those seeking refuge”reacted Monday on X Marine Tondelier, national secretary of Europe Écologie-Les Verts (EELV), after the prior rejection of the government’s immigration bill. “The government must in any case draw all the consequences and has no other political choice than to abandon this text”adds Marine Tondelier.
“It is a political snub for the government, a very strong political act which was carried out by Parliament”, affirms on franceinfo Benjamin Lucas, EELV-Nupes deputy from Yvelines, at the origin of the rejection motion. For the elected official, the vote of the deputies “is not a surprise. It is the political, arithmetic reality of the National Assembly, to the extent that there was no majority on this text.” He sees “the confirmation by vote, by public ballot, of the electoral and arithmetic reality of Parliament in 2023”.
Delphine Batho, the only ecologist-Nupes MP not to have voted for the motion, denounces the training on “unbeknownst to us, a coalition with LR and the far right on immigration” Who “is inconsistent”.
Communist Party: “The text must be definitively withdrawn”, according to Fabien Roussel
“The text, rejected in the National Assembly, must now be definitively withdrawn! We will remain mobilized for the regularization of undocumented workers”reacts Monday on X Fabien Roussel, the national secretary of the PCF.
La France Insoumise: “It feels like the end of the road” for Gérald Darmanin, judge Jean-Luc Mélenchon
“It feels like the end of the road” for Gérald Darmanin and his immigration law, judged the rebellious leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon on X, after the adoption of a motion of prior rejection of the immigration bill. Gerald “Darmanin has tamed the small Macronist groups. But not the National Assembly”he added.
“The text is rejected. But it is above all the macronie which ended up exasperating all the oppositions”added Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The arrogant Darmanin turned everyone on. The beginning of the end has begun.”
“It’s a great victory: Darmanin’s text was rejected,” reacted MP Mathilde Panot, president of the La France insoumise group in the National Assembly. “We are sparing the country two weeks of racist speeches. Without 49.3, when Parliament votes, the macronie is in the minority. This is the beginning of the end for presidential power.”
“It’s a defeat for the government” And “on this motion to reject an emblematic text for Gérald Darmanin, he was defeated and I think he should have resigned”reacted on franceinfo Alexis Corbière, LFI deputy for Seine-Saint-Denis. “I don’t know why he stayed because Mr. Macron told him to stay. His political line, his method, his strategy were defeated. He doesn’t have a majoritycontinued Alexis Corbière. It is a text which does not solve the problems of the French, which aims to make foreigners responsible for all the problems that the French encounter. Foreigners are neither better nor worse than the French. They work.”