Fear among Latin migrants in France due to a victory of the extreme right

In the midst of the campaign for the legislative elections in France, Latin American migrants are concerned about the anti-immigration policies that the far-right party, leading in the polls, promises to implement if it obtains a parliamentary majority.

“It has been a long time since I feared election results so much,” María, a Mexican who has been in France for six years and does not wish to give her last name, told AFP.

The far-right National Rally party (RN, for its acronym in French) leads the polls for the legislative elections, whose first round will take place on Sunday and the second on July 7.

The party and its allies have 36% of the voting intention, followed by the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP, 29%) and the centre-right alliance of President Emmanuel Macron (20%), according to an Ipsos poll published on Friday.

Uncertainty looms over whether they will secure an absolute majority in the National Assembly (lower house), which would open the door to a far-right government with their young leader Jordan Bardella, 28, as prime minister.

“You don’t feel comfortable on the street knowing that one in three people vote for a candidate who wants to oust you,” says Luis Molero, a Peruvian student at Sciences Po University in Paris.

In 2022, some 7 million migrants lived in France — 10.3% of the country’s population — of whom 2.6 million obtained French nationality, according to the Insee statistics institute. The majority are from Africa and Europe and around 6% come together from America and Oceania, according to official data.

“National priority”

Policies against irregular migration were a central point of the RN’s electoral campaign, which also proposes measures that would affect foreigners with legal papers, particularly by implementing the notion of “national priority.”

This doctrine would imply prioritizing access to work and accommodation and reserving social assistance for people of French nationality. In the case of foreign students, their access to public student residences would be restricted.

“Foreign students will not be given priority and social benefits will be reserved first and foremost for French students, who also have problems finding accommodation and making ends meet,” Alexis Jolly, a candidate for deputy of RN, told France Bleu radio during the campaign.

This policy “is not compatible with either the French Constitution, nor with European Union law, nor with international human rights law,” Marie-Laure Basilien-Gainche, professor of public law at the University of Lyon 3.

“Discrimination, particularly due to nationality, is prohibited. The RN would go against these fundamental norms,” he adds.

The far-right party could, however, tighten the criteria for granting visas, benefits or financial aid, such as increasing the minimum number of years of residence in the country.

Future, on pause

Political instability is forcing South American migrants living in France to reconsider their future plans. Many had planned to apply for French nationality after living, studying and working in the country for years.

“At the moment, I don’t plan to change my plans to apply for citizenship for about three years. But I would consider returning to Mexico before looking to move to another country in Europe,” if necessary, explains Alexis Ruiz, who has lived in Paris for three years and works for a logistics company.

For Maria, obtaining French nationality would be a way to simplify bureaucratic procedures and preserve the life she has created in the country, where she arrived after being born in Mexico and living in several countries. “I grew up in a French environment (…) I speak French at home and I only know the French way of life, which I think represents me.”

The young woman has lived with her boyfriend, originally from the east of the country, for a year and the couple would consider entering into a civil union if a far-right government complicates access to visas. “I want to be able to live with my boyfriend normally and in peace,” she adds.

Migrants from Latin America and non-EU countries can only wait for the results of elections in which they cannot participate. “My future now depends on the policies that the new government begins to implement,” says Luis Molero.