Ministers stall on immigration issue

Copyright: Adam

Yesterday, the National Assembly, France's lower house, was forced to answer Mayor Estrosi’s urgent questions on the most recent influx of immigrants.

At the meeting in Paris, Estrosi told the assembly he is concerned that a considerable amount of the illegals currently roaming in the Côte d’Azur may belong to a group of some 10,000 convicted criminals on the run from the Tunisian prisons.

He claimed that they could also be responsible for the recent outbreak of violence and crime in the region.

The Minister of Interior, Claude Guéant, responded to Mayor Estrosi’s fears by saying the French government is as equally concerned about this matter as the regional authorities and that they are determined to fight against all forms of clandestein transits.

Guéant added that there is no reason to accept economic migrants on French soil.

However, the Interior Minister didn't mention any measure or future government actions against immigration.

For now, France's lower house is on a standstill regarding how to deal with the latest population influx, largely from North Africa, and the only security measures they are currently considering are those that will be put in place for the G20 summit in Cannes in November.

Guéant told the assembly the French government is prepared to overule the Schengen agreement and close the French border if there is any security threats during the meeting of the G20 world leaders.

AA