It’s interesting that there is a large national debate and major legislation being worked on in both the U.S and France on the same issue: immigration. There are several similarities and differences with regard to the debate on this issue in the two countries. There will be more posts on this blog to discuss these in more detail, but here are some of the similarities:
- Both are in part addressing the large social costs of supporting both legal and illegal immigrants.
- The new immigration laws in both countries are likely to be much more strict
- Both countries are likely to require immigrants to be proficient in the national language of the country, i.e., English and French
- High unemployment and lack of job opportunities in countries to the south are often the impetus for the influx of people in the first place.
As for differences:
- One U.S. proposal would build a huge barrier wall along the border with Mexico
- Religion is much more of a factor in France than it is in the U.S.
The key issue for many in the U.S. revolves around giving “amnesty” to people who entered the country illegally. In France the key words seem to be: immigration “choisi” (chosen) rather than immigration “subi” (submissive). In other words, the new law wants to allow the country to choose who can enter rather than taking anyone who manages to arrive there.
There is great debate and great differences of opinion exist in both countries about the severity of the problem and of course the proper solutions. Feel free to express your opinions. Again, there will be more postings about the above topics in upcoming weeks regarding this issue and how it plays out in both France and the U.S.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
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