A MAJOR political dispute over how to deal with illegal immigration is beginning to affect the French government following the publication on Tuesday of a parliamentary commission report on the subject.
On Wednesday, former Socialist prime minister, Mr Laurent Fabius, criticised the government for doing nothing to penalise French people exploiting illegal immigrant workers, and said that clandestine foreigners were being used as scapegoats.
In a noisy debate in the National Assembly, opposition Socialists and Communists accused the government of pandering to the growing ranks of far- right National Front (NF) voters.
Presenting the report, Mr Jean Pierre Philibert, of the ruling Gaullist and centre-right coalition denied that it was an attempt to toughen up the 1993 immigration laws enacted by then Interior Minister, Mr Charles Pasqua, a hard-line Gaullist. The coalition, which had 26 out of the 30 commission seats, says its aim was simply to make the Pasqua law more easily applied.
It is clear, however, that three of the suggestions in this week's report move the constitutional goal-posts further to the right. And serious cracks have appeared within both coalition partners, the Gaullist RPR Party and the centre-right UDF group.
Tuesday's proposals touch on three taboos: the suspension of the right to medical treatment of illegal immigrants unless their illnesses are infectious or they are seriously ill; withdrawal of the right of education if a child is not living with a parent; and the expulsion of minors.
Other proposals include the creation of a computerised register of anyone offering lodgings or hospitality to illegal foreigners. And the plan suggests an extension of the maximum permitted time for holding illegal immigrants in detention centres to facilitate the serving of deportation orders.
Some prominent Gaullist and centre-right politicians feel that the Pasqua law is sufficient to tackle illegal immigration if properly applied. Parliamentary Speaker Mr Philippe Seguin, an arch-rival of Prime Minister Mr
Alain Juppe warned that the commission was dangerously close "to over-stepping the line of respect for the values of society and the French Republic."
The embarrassment within the ranks of the ruling coalition is all the more acute since it was pointed out that more than a fair share of the 30 members on the commission came from constituencies where the NF scored particularly highly in elections.
The supporters of the commission members reject claims that they are solely trying to win votes back from the NF. But a recent survey suggested that 33 per cent of French voters agree with the NF stand on illegal immigration and in a recent by-election, a party candidate increased his vote by 10 per cent, getting 27 per cent in the first round last Sunday.
Disregarding the controversy, the government went ahead yesterday with the expulsion by charter plane of 49 Malians and 19 Zaireans from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.