For his political comeback, Emmanuel Macron has chosen to put school, but also immigration, at the top of his priorities. In an interview at Point, the president notably advocates “significantly reducing immigration, starting with illegal immigration”. He thus announces that the government will resume “at the start of the school year” its bill on the subject, which has been postponed several times for a year, without excluding “enriching the text” in Parliament.
“Are we overwhelmed by immigration? No. It is wrong to say that. That said, the situation we know is not tenable and we must significantly reduce immigration, starting with illegal immigration. We have an obligation of result, ”declares the head of state in this interview granted to the weekly, posted online on Wednesday.
The right to asylum “misguided by the networks of smugglers”
“To do this, we must better protect our external, European borders, because let us remember that France is not a country of first entry into Europe but above all of secondary immigration for foreigners entering through another country of the European Union”, continues Emmanuel Macron. “We must also be more efficient in the application of the right to asylum, misguided by the networks of smugglers. This is at the heart of the bill prepared by the government,” he adds.
“In summary yes, we must reduce immigration, but we must continue in parallel to act through school, integration, authority, the Republic. And the economy. When you have 10% unemployment for years, you don’t integrate,” concludes the president.
On this aspect, the Head of State announces that Gérald Darmanin will resume the immigration bill, the examination of which, which began this winter in the Senate, has since been postponed several times. “We are going, with the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, to mandate the Minister of the Interior from the start of the school year to start from the government’s project, to exchange with all the opposition forces who are going in the same direction and to build the most effective project. possible “. “It is the minister who will have to push through, between the Senate and the Assembly, a text to get results. If for that it is necessary to enrich the text of the government, it will have to build this way with our confidence ”.
While the executive is struggling to find a majority on this text, the head of state “thinks” and wishes to be able to “avoid” having recourse to 49-3. But, he adds, “I am also in favor of using the instruments of the Constitution. We need results and therefore if such a text were blocked, nothing should be forbidden”.