The French right has spoken out against the 1968 Franco-Algerian immigration accord, which offers Algerians living in France exceptional benefits. Several French political leaders, including Marine Le Pen, have lobbied for the agreement’s stipulations on mobility, residence, and employment to be tightened.
In the words of Marion Maréchal on Thursday, “Forty-two percent of Algerians have no activity in France, and they are the largest foreign nationality in jails.” We are not Algeria’s care facility.” She added, “It is past time to put aside the favored Franco-Algerian immigration regime.”
The Franco-Algerian accord, dated December 27, 1968, is a direct mirror of the terms outlined in the March 18, 1962 Évian Accords. The LR political party recently denounced “exemptions [that] constitute what could almost be described as an automatic right to immigration” in a draft resolution.
It is argued that Algerians no longer have any need to maintain such preferred legal status, as they currently constitute the largest group of foreign nationals inhabiting France.
In an incident involving someone who arguably could be considered the poster child for abusing such preferred status, the mayor of Béziers, Robert Ménard, refused to authorize the marriage of an Algerian and his French partner, fearing it was a “sham.”
Amazingly, after an hour of waiting, the 23-year-old would-be groom filed a complaint against the mayor at the local police station, apparently oblivious to his own deportation status.