VS’is one of Gérald Darmanin’s priorities. During an interview with BFMTV, Tuesday, July 26, the Minister of the Interior and Overseas France showed his determination to expel delinquent foreigners from the national territory by presenting a new law next September. He announced a law to lift the legislative “reservations” linked to the expulsion of foreign offenders. “Foreigners are judged for what they do, not who they are. I don’t have the behavior of Marine Le Pen who says that foreigners are bad by nature. I have acts of common sense,” he said. “I assume the restoration of a certain form of double punishment. France is generous and welcomes with open arms. Common sense is to respect the rules of the Republic, otherwise we are leaving, ”he added.
The Home Secretary argued that the government had “decided to focus on foreigners who commit criminal acts”. “I assume a form of double punishment,” he said, pointing out that the government had withdrawn “70,000 residence permits”. “When you are a foreigner and you arrive on national soil, you respect the laws of the Republic or else you leave,” he said. “It’s a common sense policy. We judge foreigners for what they do, not who they are,” he said.
A back-to-school law
Early in the morning on RTL, Gérald Darmanin announced the presentation “at the start of the school year in September” of a law to lift “legislative reservations” preventing the expulsion of foreign offenders from the territory. Noting that “current law” authorized the government “to do many things”, he explained on BFM that he hoped that this law would remove the legislative provision according to which a foreigner who arrived in France before the age of 13 is not deportable. . He clarified that this would only apply in cases of “serious crimes and misdemeanors”.
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In the morning, he had cited as another disposition to be deleted the fact of “having contracted a marriage.” Believing that such a law confirmed “the alignment with the positions of the far right” of Gérald Darmanin, SOS Racisme called for “an end to this drift worthy of (Marine) Le Pen” and the ultra Hungarian Prime Minister – curator Viktor “Orban but unworthy of the Republic”. Gérald Darmanin also wanted an extension of the duration of orders to leave French territory (OQTF) to two years, against one year currently, to allow recourse and appeals.
In 2020, less than 10% of OQTFs were applied. “In the first half (2022), argued Mr. Darmanin, we increased by 25%” expulsions with 9,685 exits from the territory (forced and assisted removals), according to the ministry. The minister also felt that the number of places in the administrative detention center (CRA) should be increased and announced the opening of “a new center in Lyon”.
New controversy around Darmanin
Gérald Darmanin made a point of explaining that he “preferred to keep a foreigner on national soil, who certainly is irregularly on national soil, but wants to work, fit into society rather than keep on national soil” a delinquent foreigner . According to the Ministry of the Interior, “since October 2020”, France has removed “2,751 perpetrators of public order disturbances, including 25% of perpetrators of drug trafficking and 35% of attacks on persons (domestic violence , sexual offences, etc.) and 770 foreigners known for acts of radicalization”.
These announcements come as Gérald Darmanin found himself at the center of a controversy this weekend over the assault on police officers in Lyon. He had announced the arrest of a man in an irregular situation. The prosecution then clarified that this suspect had been released and exonerated. The Minister maintained his decision to deport this person. “I don’t regret anything,” he said on BFMTV. “Someone who has been convicted many times and is otherwise in an irregular situation, I was not going to release him. Well no ! “.