France Clamps Down on Illegal Immigrants
| AR Articles on France |
|---|
| France Sets the Tone (Jun. 2002) |
| A Festival for France (Nov. 1998) |
| Nationalism on the March in France (Apr. 1998) |
| Search AmRen.com for France |
| More news stories on France |
France lowered the number of illegal immigrants by six percent in 2007 through expulsions and increased tracing of illicit workers, Saturday’s issue of Figaro Magazine reported.
“For the first time in a generation the number of illegal immigrants, usually estimated at between 200,000 and 400,000, has fallen,” Minister for Immigration and National Identity Brice Hortefeux told the magazine.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has made immigration the focus of his interior policy for 2008.
In 2007, some 1,564 employers who used illegal immigrants had been caught, 45 percent more than the previous year, Hortefeux said.
The number of foreign illegal workers discovered had risen by 46 percent to 2,772, he said.
At the same time, some 23,200 would-be immigrants had been deported, while 26,500 had been prevented from coming into the country, according to the paper.
The number of foreigners who had been encouraged to leave by repatriation grants had also increased from 2,400 to 4,600.
The French government pays between 300 and 3,500 euros ($439 to $5118) per couple and 1,000 euros per child to those willing to return to their countries.
Referring to the situation in Germany, Hortefeux rejected the accusation that illegal immigrants were interned in 29 centres.
“The alternative would be prison, as it often happens in Germany,” he said.
Illegal immigrants would on average remain detained for 12 days and a maximum of 32 days, Hortefeux said.
“The period permitted by law is 18 months in Germany and unlimited in Britain,” he said.
This year France plans to introduce quotas for would-be immigrants of different countries and occupations.
(Posted on January 22, 2008)
Comments
Read Sarkozy’s Wikkipedia. He is an immigrant. He is not of native French blood.
Posted by Kellie at 4:31 PM on February 1
“[Sarkozy] is an immigrant. He is not of native French blood.”
He just married Carla Bruni today, his third wife. She (though raised in France) has no French blood at all either. She is now France’s First Lady. Her grandfather, just like his, converted and married a Catholic just in time to evade deportation. This was recently revealed in an interview given by her sister, Valeria.
Posted by at 11:10 PM on February 2