Guest of L’Heure des Pros, this Thursday, November 3 on CNEWS, Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, returned at length to the measures he intends to apply on immigration, via his future bill.
He detailed the outlines of his project. Gérald Darmanin was the guest of CNEWS this Thursday morning, in order to present the main lines of his immigration bill, in a context strongly marked by the inefficiency of the system of OQTF (Obligations to leave French territory). If he defended the efforts made by the authorities, he also multiplied the announcements concerning the measures which will be presented at the beginning of 2023 to the parliamentarians.
Prioritizing foreign offenders
The Minister of the Interior has announced that he intends to allow the expulsion of 4,000 additional people each year, targeting foreign offenders.
“What interests me for the future is how I can deport 4,000 additional people, not because they are foreigners but because they are criminals and foreigners” says Gérald Darmanin in #HDPros pic.twitter.com/kIyrIt0QJM
— CNEWS (@CNEWS) November 3, 2022
Limit the number and duration of appeals
He also clarified that, of the 120,000 people subject to an OQTF, half have appealed to challenge the process. They are therefore not expellable during the procedure, pointed out the minister. Gérald Darmanin regretted the length of these appeals, which can be a period when the person can commit an offense or have a child, and therefore no longer be deportable. “The proposal of the bill that I am carrying is to considerably reduce the time limit and the number of appeals. Today, a foreigner has 12 possible remedies. We propose to increase them to 4”, announced Gérald Darmanin.
Explaining that an expulsion today takes two years to be carried out, he also wished that a refusal of an asylum application be immediately equivalent to an OQTF and that a court have fifteen days to judge an appeal.
Better cooperation with countries of origin
Recalling that 18,000 foreigners in an irregular situation had been expelled since the beginning of the year, Gérald Darmanin explained that the lifting of the obligation of PCR tests towards the Maghreb countries had facilitated these departures, but also the work of the authorities and the forces of order, who put “pressure” on these people. Reacting to the file of an illegal Algerian sent to Tunisia by mistakehe however recognized the difficulty in identifying and knowing the true country of origin of people who do not wish to collaborate, do not have official documents and are not registered on any file.
The Minister of the Interior nevertheless welcomed better cooperation between the countries on this issue of the return of undocumented migrants. “A number of Maghreb and African states are taking back their nationals much more than they did a year ago,” he said, praising the “diplomatic work of the President of the Republic “.
A French exam for candidates with a residence permit
In anticipation of his immigration bill, Gérald Darmanin considered that French policy on this subject should be based on several principles: “That people who come to France respect our laws, speak our language, respect our flag”.
“All foreigners who want a residence permit will have to pass a French exam, if they don’t pass it, they leave, it’s a revolution,” says Gérald Darmanin in #HDPros pic.twitter.com/9JuUNDN2HJ
— CNEWS (@CNEWS) November 3, 2022
Regularization of undocumented migrants: a dreaded breath of fresh air
About the will of regularize undocumented migrants working in shortage occupations, the Minister of the Interior explained that this choice should not make “draught of air”. On the other hand, he reaffirmed his desire to allow people “who work (sic), who pose no problem for public order, who raise their children as they can, who have salary slips and pay taxes and contributions without having social protection, being exploited by people’ to obtain their papers.
Change for unaccompanied minors
Regarding unaccompanied minors, for whom the question of age, which is difficult to verify or establish with certainty, is a problem, Gérald Darmanin indicated that the government will “profoundly change things”.
“Previously, the person had to be able to demonstrate their majority, through bone tests or information from foreign countries. From now on the prosecutors of the Republic accept that the police make presumptions of majority ”. In fact, when a police officer arrests “someone who is obviously not a minor, because he has a beard, an extremely developed body or who knows him because he is in (his) file”, a report may be drawn up considering it as an adult. “The public prosecutor will recognize the word of the policeman”, detailed the Minister of the Interior.