The centrist government submitted its controversial new asylum bill to parliament yesterday, saying that it wanted its new migration policy to be both firm and fair.
And Mr Collomb told members of France’s central office for the repression of illegal immigration and employment of foreigners without residence permits (OCRIEST): “We need to know when to differentiate between the right to asylum and illegal immigration, which is often orchestrated by criminal smuggling networks.
“We cannot allow human trafficking rings to prosper, as [people smuggling] is one of the most sordid trades in the world. We want to dismantle and smash rings based in France, as well as the ones operating in France but based abroad.”
A record 303 illegal immigration rings were broken up last year, up 5.9 per cent from 2016, according to the central directorate of border police (DCPAF).
Most of the illegal immigration rings were run by Iraqi and Congolese nationals, followed by Chinese, Moroccans and Albanians, the DCPAF said.
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The interior minister added: “We must sustain this momentum and continue to work with the same – if not more – determination.”
Mr Collomb’s pledge to do more to crack down on people smuggling came a day after the centrist government submitted its contentious immigration and asylum reform to parliament, where it is to be debated and eventually amended by lawmakers.
The controversial bill, which has been described by Mr Collomb as “totally balanced,” has provoked a chorus of criticism from rights campaigners, who claim that the “potentially dangerous” new law marks an “unquestionable break with France’s tradition of asylum”.
The bill will double to 90 days the time in which illegal immigrants can be detained, shorten the deadline to apply for asylum from 120 to 90 days and make the illegal crossing of borders an offence punishable by one year in prison and fines.
Jacques Toubon, the French constitutional ombudsmen appointed to defend citizens’ rights, for his part, told the French daily Le Monde on Friday that asylum seekers risked being “mistreated” under the new immigration and asylum rules.
“The [government] claims that the new law is designed to better help and protect refugees, when in truth, they are at risk of being mistreated,” the rights defender said.
The accelerated asylum procedure will be “so fast-paced” that it will lead to mass expulsions and discourage people from applying, Mr Toubon warned, adding that the bill was “out of touch with reality”.