French president Emmanuel Macron has been hit by a rare rebellion inside his own party following a controversial new migration bill.
The tough new immigration bill cracks down on economic migrants, meaning that rejected asylum seekers will spend longer in detention as well as the rate of deportations will increase.
The bill, which would also make the illegal crossing of borders punishable by a year in jail, is seen as an attempt by the centrist leader to stop a resurgence of the far-right derailing his presidency.
Mr Macron has sought to win the support of Marine Le Pen’s voting base to prevent the emergence of a similar political crisis that destablized Angela Merkel’s reign.
Pierre Haski, a French political analyst, said that the immigration bill is a risky move for Mr Macron.
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He explained: “Voters of Le Pen haven’t disappeared. When you look at Germany, where 92 far-right were elected after the crisis, this is seen as a lesson in France.”
In response, Mr Macron’s own En Marche party has split, with several MPs railing against the French president.
In a fiery speech, one lawmaker, Sonia Krimi, told the French Senate: “Detention centres are becoming prisons which are unworthy of our republic.
“All foreigners in France are not terrorists, all foreigners do not cheat with social welfare.”
Another lawmaker from the En Marche party, Mathieu Orphelin, criticized the measures to double detention time.
The government’s proposals also speed up asylum procedures and provide more refugee housing.
France received a record number of asylum applications last year, reaching 100,000.
The bill is set to be debated in parliament in April.