Macron's Proposed Immigration Bill Rejected; Interior Minister Says the Goal is to Organize the Status of Immigrants

The National Assembly of France, which holds a lower position than the country's parliament, rejected the immigration bill proposed by Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, on Monday. Gérald Darmanin, the French Interior Minister, stated that this bill was aimed at expelling more illegal immigrants and improving the status of legal immigrants in France. The immigration bill, which had previously been approved in the Senate controlled by the right-wing, limited the ability of immigrants to bring family members to France, obtain citizenship rights, and access welfare benefits. In his speech in defense of the bill at the National Assembly, Gérald Darmanin argued that this bill is essential for protecting France against illegal immigration and creating order in the country's immigration system. However, after the bill was rejected, he immediately resigned from his position, a request that Macron rejected, instructing Darmanin to find new ways to pass the bill. On December 5, the Interior Minister referred to a terrorist attack in Paris, stating, "Our country is constantly exposed to the threat of Islamist terrorism. According to our research and scientific studies, more than a third of the radicalized and Islamic extremists under surveillance suffer from psychological problems; therefore, the law must give authorities more power to impose psychiatric treatment on such individuals." A man armed with a knife and hammer attacked people near the Eiffel Tower on Saturday evening, December 2, killing a German tourist and injuring two others, including a British citizen. Emmanuel Macron described this attack as terrorist. The suspect in this terrorist attack was identified as "Armand Rajabpour Miyandoab," who is said to have affiliations with extremist Islamist groups and ISIS. France now hosts the largest Muslim community in Western Europe. Islam, after Catholicism, is the second religion in the country, and the number of Muslims in France exceeds that of Protestants and Jews. It is reported that currently, over 5 million Muslims live throughout the country.