Immigration quotas, surprise (and polemical) guests of the "great national debate"

The letter sent Monday by Emmanuel Macron to the French to launch the "big debate" includes 35 questions, but some of them are much more commented than the others. This is the case of one of the three that concern immigration. "In (the) matter, once our obligations of asylum filled, do you wish that we can set ourselves annual objectives defined by the Parliament?" Questions the president of the Republic. The word "quotas" is of course carefully avoided by the head of state, but it is he who has arisen in the minds of observers and politicians. The evolution is notable, because during the presidential campaign, Emmanuel Macron refused to include the measure in his program.

In the programs of Fillon, Dupont-Aignan and Le Pen

In the 2017 presidential election, only three candidates had in fact raised immigration quotas, all ranked on the right or even on the right. Francois Fillon, Republicans, and heard, if he had been elected, include in the Constitution the principle of quotas set by law to cap the number of residence permits that can be issued each year, depending on the capacity of the host. country. No quotas for Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, but for him also a cap, set each year by Parliament. Finally Marine Le Pen proposed to reduce the annual balance of immigration to 10,000. Without it either to pronounce the term of quotas.

On the subject, Republicans version Laurent Wauquiez have not changed their minds, since the measure is still in the list of their proposals. As recalls LCI, the Senate right had also tried last June to reintroduce the principle of quotas in the law. "The introduction of quotas [...] does not stand up to a review of its feasibility.The government is against such a policy," had hammered Jacqueline Gourault, then Minister to the Minister of the Interior responsible for the Cohesion of territories.

Associations and opposition upwind

It is not enough to say that some associations have tasted this change of direction on the part of the executive. "It's good, we advance," ironically Pierre Henry, director of France Terre d'asile, on Twitter. "The Mazeaud commission answered inappropriate, unconstitutional, anti-conventional.

That's good: we're moving forward with the big debate. Ten years ago SARKOZY posed the question of quotas. The Mazeaud commission answered inappropriate - unconstitutional. Anti conventional. Do we start the fire again on a subject off topic?

Same virulence on the side of SOS Racisme. "The letter of Emmanuel Macron integrates as we feared the theme of immigration, leaving heavy implication that we welcome too many immigrants and that they and their children were not sufficiently integrated", writes the association in a statement. "Serious and irresponsible words that sound like a nauseous diversion".

# Letter toFrench # GrandDebatNational: @SOS_Racism does not accept that immigrants and their children are the scapegoats that power has chosen to divert attention from its unfair tax policy. pic.twitter.com/eWIN7BWQDE

Unsurprisingly, oppositions have also expressed their indignation. On the left, the PS MP Luc Carvounas has estimated that the head of state asked with this question that of "the national identity without wanting to say" and "runs behind the old moons of the far right" while approach the European elections. "The French do not want quotas, the French want to end the migration policy", for its part said Jordan Bardella, head of the list of the National Rally for European, on BFMTV.

The majority assumes ... or almost

The majority, she assumes. "We did not say the word quotas," was defended first Gilles Le Gendre on Franceinfo, the head of LREM deputies adding however that there is "no taboo on it". "For years now, the question of immigration has poisoned the French public debate because we refuse to treat it otherwise than in a simplistic and demagogic way". But "the big debate gives the opportunity to address the issues differently by giving on this topic also the word to the French, which will necessarily produce interesting things.We will see if we put in place quotas," concluded the elected from Paris, releasing the word that is angry.

For its part, LREM MP Aurélien Taché, a specialist in reception issues, was somewhat embarrassed. He welcomed the fact that immigration is included in the "citizenship" part, but also affirmed that "the right of asylum is a fundamental right, there will never be any quotas on it", nor on " family immigration ". Then there remains the economic immigration. On the subject, he sent the ball to ... Europe: "why not ask at the European level what and who we need to build the Europe of tomorrow, even if it is more" of people welcomed in the end he suggested.