The French parliament has recently passed a legislation that forbids Nigerian students and others from bringing their families to France.

This measure gained support from President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally after a revised version was approved.

The updated immigration policy enforces stricter controls on family reunions, limits migrants’ access to welfare benefits, and prohibits the detention of minors in detention centers. However, leaders from about one-third of France’s regions have expressed their opposition to implementing key legislative measures.

A contentious aspect of the law is its differentiation between citizens and migrants, including those legally residing in France, regarding eligibility for benefits. The amended and more rigorous version of the bill received support from right-wing parties, leading to its recent approval.

Marine Le Pen celebrated the altered measure as an “ideological victory” for the far-right. Eric Ciotti, the leader of the right-wing Republican Party, declared it as “firm and courageous” and claimed it as their own.

On the other hand, left-wing critics argued that Macron was indirectly supporting the far-right. Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure warned, “History will remember those who betrayed their convictions.”