Immigration: Darmanin takes a step towards the Republicans

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Everyone must take a step" for a compromise between the presidential majority and the Republicans to reach a text on immigration in the fall, urges the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, in an interview with the Parisian posted online Saturday, in which he draws some red lines. ", let's work together!" says the minister, reacting to the Republicans' very firm proposals on immigration, one of which provides for the possibility of derogating from treaties and European immigration law in the Constitution.

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There will be no agreement at any price. Everyone must take a step, "says Gérald Darmanin, recalling that there are "sixty deputies" LR in the Assembly. Alone, they are not able to get their proposals adopted, and the government for its part does not have an absolute majority to vote on its own text. "We can keep our text, already adopted by the Senate Law Commission, by discussing together the amendments to modify it. The LR would absolutely like us to reintroduce a new law together? We are ready for it if it is discussed with centrists and radicals," he said.

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Among the LR proposals he retains, he cites "the conditioning of visas, with the modulation of development aid to the countries concerned, the implementation of consular passes, the discussion around unaccompanied minors, the 360-degree control of applications for residence permits". He also says he is ready to hold discussions on the opening of social benefits from 5 years of residence in France.

On the other hand, freeing oneself from the European treaties would be "a migratory Frexit", insists the minister. Faced with Eric Ciotti's party, which opposes it, he defends "the regularization of immigrant workers, who respect our values and have been working on our territory for several years", stressing that "the French are in favor of it, including on the right". On the introduction of quotas, "we have already said that we are ready to study these proposals. But beware, on the right of asylum, for example, it is impossible to put quotas, "warns the Minister of the Interior.

As for the proposal for asylum applications to be made outside the territory, "this measure is inapplicable", he decides, "except to leave the Geneva Convention of 1951" in particular. In terms of timing, "what is important is that in October we discussed a text in the Senate, then in November or December in the National Assembly," says Gérald Darmanin.