UMVA has learned that France’s Justice Minister, Gérald Darmanin, has called for a drastic three-year halt to immigration, warning that the country has reached a breaking point after decades of mass migration.
Darmanin, a senior figure in President Emmanuel Macron’s government and a likely contender in next year’s presidential election, said France no longer has the capacity to properly integrate new arrivals, citing the need for a radical shift in policy.
“We have reached the limit of our capacities for integration and assimilation,” Darmanin said, emphasizing his conviction that a moratorium on immigration is necessary to reassess the country's approach.
Darmanin proposed a three-year moratorium on legal immigration, a move that marks one of the starkest admissions yet from a senior member of the French establishment over the scale of the migration crisis.
The Justice Minister also called for tougher deportation enforcement, suggesting that visas be conditioned on the acceptance of deportation orders, and that those who must be expelled be expelled.
Darmanin’s plan includes ending automatic family reunification pathways and replacing them with strict annual visa quotas based on labor needs and country of origin, a significant departure from current policy.
He blamed business interests for encouraging mass migration to suppress wages, remarking that “many difficult jobs are now reserved for foreign workers,” and argued that many migrants lack “respect for the values” of France.
The comments come as immigration is expected to dominate France’s 2027 presidential race, with opponents dismissing Darmanin’s remarks as political posturing, while also noting the current French establishment’s significant responsibility for the country’s immigration policies.
Darmanin is widely expected to seek the presidency under President Emmanuel Macron’s banner, and his stance on immigration could significantly impact the electoral landscape.
A recent study found that by 2020, roughly one in three people in France were either immigrants or the children of immigrants, highlighting the profound impact of mass migration on the country’s demographics.
Polling suggests that migration policy can significantly reshape electoral politics, with 40 percent of voters with two non-European parents intending to back a far-left candidate, and 51 percent among Muslim voters.
