Immigration is one of the themes that has emerged in the presidential campaign… With sometimes certain approximations… The True of False unit has reviewed recent statements on this subject.
Out of 60% of asylum seekers who are rejected, only 5% leave?
The LR candidate, Valérie Pécresse explained that she wanted to reform the right of asylum, criticizing the fact that“currently most asylum applications are submitted in France, that 60% of applicants are rejected, and that the percentage of rejected applicants who leave our territory is a maximum of 5%”.
Most asylum applications are effectively rejected. In 2021 protection was only granted in just under 40% of cases. However, it is very risky to say that only 5% of those who have been refused return to their country after the refusal. This figure actually appears in a note from the Court of Auditors in 2015, but at the time it was disputed by the Ministry of the Interior. The government explained that it did not include rejected applicants who could decide to leave on their own or even those who, after a refusal, finally applied for a residence permit for reasons other than asylum. Contacted, the Directorate General for Foreigners in France, itself, is not able to confirm this figure.
The Afghans and the Syrians, contrary to the Ukrainians, were rather economic migrants?
The candidate of the National Rally, Marine le Pen, has ventured in recent days to compare the situation of Ukrainian refugees with that of Syrians or Afghans. “We can clearly see that when there were these large migratory flows of refugees, they were in many cases economic refugees, and not war refugees” she explained, advancing as proof that only “a quarter of asylum applications for Syrians and Afghans were accepted”.
This is however false. According to Ofpra, in 2020, 80% of Syrians and 65% of Afghans who have applied for asylum have obtained this protection.
Immigrants make it possible to “run” hospitals and construction sites?
The Lutte Ouvrière candidate, Nathalie Arthaud, was rather pleased with the presence of immigrants in France. “The world of work is made up of a lot of immigrant workers, and fortunately they are there to run hospitals, construction sites etc…”, she declared.
And it is rather true. According to the latest available from Dares, immigrants represent 10% of employment in France. They are also over-represented in certain trades, in particular jobs in services to individuals and communities, as well as in construction and public works. These are precisely trades where the working conditions are often restrictive and where France actually lacks arms.