About 600 Paris police officers descended on two makeshift camps set up by migrants and removed the occupants before demolishing the sites. The migrants were mostly from Africa and the Middle East and most were awaiting decisions on their requests for asylum.
But some of the migrants’ asylum requests had been denied and they were subject to deportation. Others were dissatisfied with the housing given to them by the state and chose to live in the tent cities.
The action by the police comes the day after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced severe restrictions on migrants and other measures designed to stem the flow of newcomers.
The removals came a day after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe revealed new quotas in France for migrant workers and restrictions on the kind of health care they can receive. Those measures, he said, will help France “take back control” over its expanding migrant population.
“Retaking control means when we say yes it really means yes, and when we say no it really means no,” Philippe, who serves under President Emmanuel Macron, said Wednesday. “We’ve decided to go far in opening up where we think it’s good for France, and go far in restrictions where the abuses are intolerable.”
Why isn’t the worldwide left up in arms over the Macron government’s actions? Trump’s efforts to limit immigration to those who can afford healthcare isn’t that much different. And whatever happened to the EU’s “open door” policy for migrants? After all, they only want a better life, right?
Right?
France is one of many European countries to struggle with its response to an influx of irregular migrants and the government is under pressure to react to the political challenge from the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen.
Several European countries have tightened their migrant policies in response to the influx into the EU, which reached a peak in 2015.
The problem for France and other EU nations is that the migrants keep coming. The wave may have slowed, but it shows no signs of stopping.
And Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s threat to send Syrian refugees and ISIS prisoners “back home” to their European countries of origin has chilled the bones of EU security authorities. The prospect of several hundred battle-hardened terrorists landing on their shores leads to sleepless nights for many.
The Euro-left doesn’t want these newcomers any more than most Americans want the problems from the rest of the world to end up on our doorstep. Being tolerant and humane is one thing. But putting those noble traits into practice — and putting the money necessary to care for them in their pockets — is an entirely different matter.
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