The French parliament has passed a law prohibiting Nigerian students studying in France and others from bringing their families into France. After a revised version was approved, this measure was Okayed by the French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally. Accordingly, the new revised immigration policy is targeted to tighten controls on family reunion, restricts migrants’ access to welfare benefits, and prohibits the incarceration of minors in detention centres.
However, some leaders from one-third of France’s regions have kicked against the new law and have stated their refusal to implement key legislative measures.
Notably, a controversial component of the law distinguishes between citizens and migrants, including those legally residing in France, in terms of eligibility for benefits.
According to some opinion, the amended version of the bill was supported by the right-wing parties, leading to its recent approval.
Ms Le Pen hailed the altered measure as a “ideological victory” for the far-right.
“This is our bill,” declared the leader of the right-wing Republican Party, Eric Ciotti. He described it as “firm and courageous.”
However, left-wingers claimed that Macron was aiding the far-right. “History will remember those who betrayed their convictions,” warned Socialist Party leader, Olivier Faure.
