Immigration Reform In France

Today, immigration remains a salient issue for all political parties in France, and although many outlooks on immigration are different, they lean towards xenophobia (Hollifield 167). Many French natives, saying that immigrants are the reason for the economic and social issues within France, often call upon reform. Those in favor of reform cite that social differences are at the heart of the problem with the immigrants. With a large number of immigrants settling into France, the proverbial “French identity” is at risk because the immigrants and the children of the immigrants are taking away from this. Immigrants permanently move into France, begin a life, and refuse to assimilate and integrate into French society, causing a large divide between …show more content…
An argument from this side of the issue explains that immigrants are a vital part of the French economy. If too many immigrants are pushed and taken out of France, they lose the immigrant base that the French benefit from. Many critics of immigration reform side with the republican ideas, stating that France needs to be tough on illegal immigrants and illegal labor in business but that they are still a country of openness. Undocumented immigrants need to be regulated, but if one is a legal immigrant, France should provide some assistance to immigrants based on the original republican ideals. For many, the argument is that if immigrants are continually forced to prove their loyalty to France, this can give off the impression that immigrants may never be accepted. Thus, they will not have a reason to assimilate and integrate into French society and will never fit the mold. Opposition of immigration reform heavily criticize the Pasqua laws, saying that they go against everything the republican values affirm. Much of the opposition toward immigration reform is based upon the republican ideals. Hollifield explains, “the acceptance of foreigners as potential citizens is part and parcel of the republican tradition” (Hollifield 157). The republican tradition “found its expression in a more open and expansive notion of citizenship” (Hollifield 157). Thus, those who stick with and still firmly …show more content…
There has been unhappiness and frustration with immigration policy for a long time now, and the frustration is growing and it going to boil over. Citizens, government figures, and immigrants are all irritated with French immigration policy and change has tried to be enacted. The proposal of new bills displays France’s desire to pass new legislation and reform immigration policy. Although some have been met with controversy, simply the proposal and suggestion of these bills explains the need for change and that need is a widely accepted belief in France. Because it is so widely accepted and it has been worked on, change and reform is likely to come. With unhappiness and the divide between natives and immigrants becoming larger and larger, immigration continues to become a more pressing issue and is coming more and more into the forefront. As a result, reform is likely to come. A pressing issue in the upcoming election in France will be immigration, and the candidate that wins will have expressed concern about immigration reform. With this concern, immigration reform is likely to take place when the candidate is put into office. All of these factors express my belief that immigration reform is very likely. Social, economic, and cultural divides continue to grow and with more immigration reform proposed, it is very likely that there will soon be immigration policy reform in