PARIS - French lawmakers are grappling with one of the country’s thorniest issues. On Monday, they began debating immigration, at a time when tent cities have expanded in urban areas across the country and asylum demands are spiking. With municipal elections months away, President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to confront immigration head-on during the second half of his term. Ministers stressed that 30% of asylum seekers in France previously applied for asylum elsewhere in Europe — meaning that France should not bear responsibility for them, according to an EU accord. Inflaming deep-seated societal tensions over immigration marks a risky political gamble for Macron ahead of March 2020 municipal elections.

Source: The Star October 07, 2019 18:53 UTC