Newly appointed French Prime Minister Michel Barnier is rumoured to be considering creating an immigration ministry—an idea reflecting the concern of the French electorate while causing uproar on the Left.
Two days after his appointment, Barnier explained that he wanted to make immigration a central concern. He said he wanted to “control immigration in a rigorous and humane way.” “There is always the feeling that borders are sieves and that migratory flows are not under control,” he added.
The idea is not new: under President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007, a Ministry of “Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Supportive Development” was created. It was a campaign promise for the right-wing president who declared at the time: “Immigration policy will determine France’s identity for the next thirty years.” But the initiative aroused strong opposition, especially when the minister at the time, Éric Besson, launched a debate on national identity, accused by the Left of “unleashing racist rhetoric.” The portfolio was eventually abolished in 2010.
During the Les Républicains party primaries in 2021, Barnier, who came 3rd in the presidential race within the right-wing party, already highlighted immigration issue. He called for a three- to five-year moratorium on immigration and, like the Rassemblement National (RN), advocated a referendum on migration issues.
If Barnier were to persevere in this direction, it would represent a clear shift in government policy, which until now has been dominated by the minister of interior’s repeated statements in favour of firmness, but with little concrete effect. As soon as the idea hit the press, the far Left vigorously voiced its disapproval. “The far Right is officially governing this country,” protested La France Insoumise (LFI) MP Thomas Portes.
According to Libération, Barnier, who is on a tour of the various parliamentary groups, was keen to tone down the rumour at a time when he needs to find out exactly which MPs are likely to support him. The return of Sarkozy’s version of ‘national identity’ would risk alienating the vote of Macronist MPs on the Left, which he needs if he wants to stay in office. Barnier “is wary of publicity stunts and wants to deal seriously with the subject of immigration,” the minister’s entourage hastened to say.
