France’s Marine Le Pen-led Rassemblement Nationale said that on Tuesday it would back a key bill by President Emmanuel Macron’s government tightening immigration rules.
Macron presented a much softer version of the bill last week, but the Parliament almost unanimously rejected it. Macron’s party and the Conservatives later agreed on a tougher immigration bill designed to strengthen France’s ability to deport foreigners. Le Pen told reporters at the National Assembly:
Under pressure from National Rally voter, this bill will harden the conditions surrounding immigration. We can salute ideological progress, an ideological victory of the National Rally, because it will now be etched in legislation that there is a national priority.
A key element is the social benefit for foreigners subject to a five-year stay in France, or 30 months for those working in the country.
France’s left-wing parties have strongly opposed the bill, saying it violates migrants’ rights.
Political pressure to address France’s migrant crisis has come to a head amid a surge in violent crime among migrants across the country and overburdened social services.
Le Pen, who is currently leading in parliament but is expected to run for president again in 2027, has called the law a “tightening of immigration conditions”.
The number of immigrants in France is estimated at 5.1 million, or 7.6 per cent of the population. Authorities estimate there are between 600,000 and 700,000 illegal immigrants in the country.
