France’s new immigration draft law raises ‘illegal refoulement’ fears

PARIS, FRANCE - DECEMBER 12: French President Emmanuel Macron is working on an immigration draft law, under fierce pressure from a rising far-right, which human rights groups said would raise fears of “illegal refoulements.” The first step before the official presentation of the new immigration bill, there have been long hours of debates on France’s migration policy. On paper, the proposed law, whose examination in parliament will take place in the spring, must combine “firmness and humanity,” the French president said last week. The bill is about applying the Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQTF) policy, the execution rate of which is low. About 15% of migrants have been ordered to leave in the last decade, according to a Senate report released in May. It also seeks to accelerate procedures, better integrating and encouraging labor immigration “with needed skills.” The reform plans to automate notification of OQTF for anyone whose asylum application is rejected by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons. Until now, such a measure could only be notified when the National Court of Asylum renders a decision on appeal. The new law also plans to generalize the use of a single judge for most appeals before the National Court for the Right to Asylum (CNDA), instead of three judges working collegially. Tchelina Jerolon, head of the Conflict, Migration and Justice Program at Amnesty International France said: “We are particularly concerned about two measures that have been proposed by the government. “The first concerns the automatic taking of an OQTF, which means the obligation to leave French territory for all asylum seekers who would see their requests rejected by OFPRA, French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons. (Footage by Hafsa Alami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)