Macron’s government in disarray after failure of immigration bill

The French President Emmanuel Macron‘s government is having a problem because all the other parties joined together to stop an important immigration law from passing.

Members of Parliament from different political parties, including those on the far right, far left, and moderate side, voted on Monday to say no to the proposed law.

The liberal side said the rules were too strict, and the conservative side said they weren’t strict enough.

After losing, the Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said he would leave his job.

Seen as someone who is strict about immigration, he really liked the proposed law. But Mr Macron said no to his resignation.

The government said the bill would help manage immigration and make it easier for migrants to fit in.

The new law would have made it easier for the government to send away migrants who are in prison for five years or more, and it would have also made it harder for migrants to bring their family to France.

It was not as strict as the Senate’s proposal, which would have made it much harder for migrants to get healthcare and benefits.

Before the vote, Mr. Darmanin said on a social media platform that if the bill passes, the government would be able to send “very dangerous” foreigners, such as drug dealers, out of the country.

However, he was not successful in getting opposition MPs to support him, as different groups voted against the bill. Members of the National Rally, France Unbowed, the Republicans, and some smaller parties joined together to beat the government. They got 270 votes, while the government got 265.

Before the vote, Arthur Delaporte, a member of the Socialist party, said his party would vote no on the bill because he thought it was unfair, wrong, and could take away people’s freedom.

Mr Macron’s middle-of-the-road Renaissance party did not win most of the seats in parliament in the June 2022 elections. Since then, the government often can’t get enough votes in parliament.

The government can change the bill or cancel it completely. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne cannot use a special way to make laws without a vote to approve this version.