Recall that heated debates around this bill began after deputy from the Union for a Popular Movement Thierry Mariani proposed making DNA analysis mandatory for candidates for family reunification. He justified his initiative by saying that the majority of residents of developing countries seeking to obtain a French visa are not actually relatives of those who invite them. The authors of the amendments point out that in African countries, forged documents about kinship are often issued.
The National Assembly approved this initiative at a plenary session, but at the end of September, members of the Senate's legislative commission voted 24 to 13 to reject this amendment. Later, senators changed their position. This happened after the head of the Senate's legislative commission Jean-Jacques Hyest and Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux proposed a compromise version of the bill to the upper house. According to the bill, DNA analysis for immigrants will be conducted as an experiment for 18 months.
The new version of the bill approved by the Senate stipulates that “diplomatic or consular missions will apply to the court of second instance of the city of Nantes to decide on the need to resort to the identification test.” The document specifies that the costs of DNA analysis (about €300) will be reimbursed by the state. Now, after the Senate approved the bill in first reading, legislators will consider the creation on a parity basis of a mixed commission of both houses of the French parliament to prepare the final text. The latter will be submitted again for consideration by both houses.
Opponents of the law believe it “contradicts the values of the Republic.” In their opinion, even in its amended form, Article 5 of the bill contains the word “DNA” and provides for a “discriminatory and useless” procedure. In particular, Socialist Party deputy Jean-Pierre Sueur recalled how Nicolas Sarkozy during his election campaign stated that “pedophiles are genetically programmed to commit their crimes.” Then Sarkozy's thesis about genetic predisposition to pedophilia drew angry criticism in the country's political circles. Now, according to socialist Sueur, Sarkozy's supporters are trying to introduce a “racist law that will undermine France's reputation around the world.”
The new immigration law was also criticized by Socialist Party deputies Bernard Friot and Pierre-Yves Collomba. “What we are doing is a gross mistake. The reaction to this law in Africa and other countries will be absolutely negative,” said their party colleague Robert Badinter. Even harsher statements were made by representatives of the Communist Party of France, who believe that the new law is a “declaration of war on foreigners who permanently reside on our territory and want to reunite with family members.”
Leader of the French "Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Between Peoples" Mouloud Aouni called this document “a stain that tarnishes the history of the Republic's democracy.” He called on French citizens and immigrants to mobilize, up to appealing to the Constitutional Council, in order to “block the path of a bill that legitimizes racism in French society.”
By the way, the trend towards tightening immigration policy is also strengthening in other European countries. The day before, deputies of the lower house of the Swiss parliament voted to allow police to use dogs and Taser stun guns during the forced deportation of illegal immigrants. 75 deputies voted for the adoption of this document, 67 against. Left-wing parties and human rights organizations sharply criticized this decision, stating that Taser guns have already caused the death of hundreds of people. According to experts, with the help of such measures against immigrants, the country's right-wing parties are trying to raise their ratings in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections.