SARKOZY'S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATES NEW STRICT IMMIGRATION RULES

BBC:

Proposals to tighten entry conditions for the relatives of immigrants who want to join their family in France are to be debated in the French parliament.

Under the new bill, immigrant families would have to prove they are solvent financially and can speak French.

In some cases the legislation would demand the relatives take a DNA test to prove their applications were genuine.

Civil liberties groups say the bill is inhuman but the government has vowed to clamp down on illegal immigration.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has set up deportation quotas, promising to send home 25,000 illegal immigrants this year alone.

The bill would require immigrant family members aged over 16 to take a test in their country of origin demonstrating a good knowledge of French language and values.

Applicants would also have to prove their family in France can support them and earn at least the minimum wage.

If immigration officials doubt an applicant is truly a genuine relative of the person he or she seeks to join in France, that person could be asked to take - and pay for - a DNA test to prove a biological link with other family members.

CSM:

Last year, France's famously open doors began closing on individual immigrants. This week, France starts making it harder to bring families and spouses to a country where joblessness and welfare are seen as draining the treasury and creating reservoirs of ill feeling, particularly among the middle class.

In a new measure expected to pass the French Assembly in 15 days or less, new family arrivals must speak French. Immigrant parents must guarantee their kids will behave. And breadwinners must show earnings of up to 1,600 euros a month.

When then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy pushed tough limits on immigrants last year, the left called it an attack on France's African and Arab populations. In a country roiled by changing complexion and identity, and on the eve of national elections, Mr. Sarkozy's new "contract" set a high bar: Know the French language, embrace civic values, and show means of support.

Some 600 pro-immigrant groups hit Paris streets, protesting how quickly Europe and France were closing to the foreign-born and how aggressive the measures seemed to be. But the law passed.

Now, President Sarkozy has again upped the stakes. Not only will incoming families face a higher hurdle, but an amendment quietly introduced DNA testing as a way to prove biological ties among them. In addition, French embassies abroad will be newly empowered to conduct extensive background checks of prospective residents.

OTHER LONG-OVERDUE SARKOZY REFORMS DISCUSSED HERE.

I HOPE SARKOZY WINS. IF HE WINS, FRANCE, EUROPE AND THE WEST WIN.