"Use of our migration policy is approved"

Demographer Michel Tribelat in 2015. Sebastian Soriano / Le Figaro

Maintenance – For the demographer, if France still welcomes substantial illegal and routine immigration, it is due to a lack of political will. Today, she explains, it is the state and judges – national and European – who set the standard in matters of foreigners’ rights without the government opposing it, as in neighboring countries.

LE FIGARO. – The Home Minister announced:The fight against criminal foreigners is more relentless than ever». How do you explain that it is so difficult to repatriate not only criminals, but foreigners in general? Is it a matter of rights, means and political will?

Michel Tribelat. – Maybe a little bit of all three. Although the government can still decide how many foreigners to accept for economic reasons, everything else must fall within the framework of EU directives and regulations. This encroachment was allowed. France never made the demands leading to a settlement, as Denmark, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Poland did. Denmark has benefited from the justice-domestic pillar and the right of withdrawal from special protocols, particularly on immigration matters.

Also read this“Immigration should be out of the hands of judges and back into the hands of legislators”

To this must be added the growing weight of French and European case law (ECHR, CJEU) contributing to…

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