Europe 1 with AFP 5:22 p.m., February 22, 2022

Less than fifty days before the first round of the presidential election, the campaign is raging and the candidates are revealing their programs in turn.

On the theme of immigration, the proposals are vast and range from the construction of a wall for Éric Zemmour to the regularization of undocumented immigrants for Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

Overview of the measures proposed by five candidates.

The divisive issue of immigration is inflaming the electoral debate with candidates who are directly opposed on how to deal with it, less than fifty days before the first round of the presidential election.

Zemmour proposes a "Trump" wall

Éric Zemmour has announced it: he wants to achieve "zero immigration", by building a wall on the "external borders" of the EU.

A measure that is reminiscent of that of Donald Trump in 2016, who wanted to build a wall between the United States and Mexico.

But unlike the former American president, he does not intend to have its construction financed by neighboring countries, but thanks to European financing.

"Countries that have built a wall like Hungary are defending European civilization," he told BFMTV. 

The leader of Reconquest!

also intends to plead for the suspension of the Schengen area, while President Emmanuel Macron, who is still not an official candidate, defends a reform of the Schengen area in order to provide it "with a mechanism of solidarity and rapid intervention in the event of a crisis at the external borders of the Union".

Le Pen will consult the French on the migration issue 

If she is elected President of the Republic on April 24, the National Rally candidate plans to consult the people by referendum on migration issues.

Marine Le Pen thus intends to submit to voters a bill, constitutional and legislative, which would revise all the law applicable to foreigners.

It thus wishes to include in the Constitution principles such as national priority in terms of housing and employment or that of the primacy of national law over European and international law, the constitutionality of which will have to be studied if necessary.

This bill provides for an arsenal of measures such as the prohibition of regularization of undocumented migrants, the expulsion of delinquent foreigners or even criminal sanctions for any complicity in illegal immigration.

Pécresse wants to find its place between Zemmour and Le Pen

Competing on her right wing by Éric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen, the LR candidate also made immigration one of the main themes of her campaign, to the point of evoking the conspiracy theory of the "great replacement" during her meeting. at the Zenith on February 13.

Valérie Pécresse considers "that uncontrolled immigration and failed integration can dislocate a nation".

Its flagship measure is "asylum at the border", which would require asylum applications to go through a French embassy.

She thus wishes to "take back control of the borders".

Mélenchon wants to “regularize undocumented migrants”

On the left, the discourse is diametrically opposed.

If he wins the presidential election, the Insoumis Jean-Luc Mélenchon will proceed to the regularization of "working undocumented workers".

He believes that "equal status is a weapon against clandestine work and competition between employees, as practiced by employers".

Hidalgo wants "a dignified welcome"

Socialist Anne Hidalgo promises to "guarantee a dignified welcome in all circumstances for asylum seekers".

To achieve this, it intends to put in place "a balanced distribution throughout the territory and processing times for their applications controlled at each stage", while committing to fight against "irregular and deadly channels of illegal immigration" .

Still on the left, Christiane Taubira advocates the "creation of a European asylum agency".