French using dna testing to fix thier illegal alien problem?
French immigration bill passes
By NATHALIE SCHUCK, Associated Press Writer
PARIS - French lawmakers adopted a hotly contested bill on Tuesday that
would institute language exams and potential DNA testing for prospective
immigrants, making it more difficult for families to join loved ones in
France.
The DNA amendment, the most controversial aspect of the legislation,
is meant to ensure that claims of family ties are true. It was added
as a way to ensure that visa-seekers were not using fraudulent papers,
common in some African countries.
While the expensive test is optional, critics fear it would be viewed
as mandatory by those hoping to join family members in France.
The opposition Socialist Party has said it would take the issue before
the Constitutional Council, which ensures that all laws conform with the
constitution, in the hopes of getting the DNA amendment dumped.
The move delays the bill's formal passage into law.
"This law is aimed at institutionalizing xenophobia," said Communist
Party lawmaker Patrick Braouezec.
France's National Ethics Committee, a consultative body, has also
said it has serious reservations about the DNA amendment for fear
it could erode individual freedoms.
In a bid to appease critics, the DNA amendment was watered down to
an 18-month experiment in several countries, with a genetic comparison
only being made between a child seeking to join a mother already in
France.
The legislation is a step toward fulfilling Conservative French
President Nicolas Sarkozy's goal of increasing the pro****tion of skilled
immigrants in France from 7 percent to 50 percent and generally tailoring
the profile of the immigrant community.
In September, Sarkozy proposed immigration quotas by regions of the world
and by occupation.
"I want us to be able to establish each year, after a debate in
parliament,
a quota with a ceiling for the number of foreigners we accept on our
territory," he said at the time.
Immigration reform was a central theme of Sarkozy's presidential campaign.
"You are reimbursing your debt to the extreme right," Greens Party
lawmaker
Noel Mamere said Tuesday ahead of the vote, a reference to the far-right
party which voted massively for Sarkozy at the expense of its own
candidate,
Jean-Marie Le Pen.
The rest of the bill requires that prospective immigrants take a language
test and an exam on fundamental French values. It also sets a minimum
income
level for the relative in France to ensure the person arriving has enough
financial sup****t.
Twenty-one deputies of Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement abstained in
the 282-235 vote in the lower house, the National Assembly, and four voted
against the bill. The bill passed in the Senate 185-136.
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