France’s immigrant community challenges stereotypes – What the world thinks

Last June, French President Emmanuel Macron called for early parliamentary elections after defeating the Ennahda party in the European Parliament elections, sparking speculation about the fate of French democracy, Macron’s strategy, and the impact of the French elections, which are characterized by shifting left-wing and right-wing coalitions in the political spectrum. The step also raised questions about the role of immigrants, especially those who practice Islam, in influencing the decisions of male and female voters.
As expected, the far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen received an unprecedented 31% of the vote in the European elections. Although the party later lost the French parliamentary elections, it became the leader of the third largest group in the European Parliament, called “European Patriots”, formed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Throughout these events, and in preparation for the expected presidential elections in 2027, the party has continuously used the issue of immigration to gain a foothold in political life. His efforts to “stop the flow of immigrants” have reverberated within and outside French society, affecting immigrants and their descendants, who are mostly from Muslim and African countries.
In fact, the normalization of anti-immigrant rhetoric in France is nothing new, and it certainly did not start with the recent European elections. In fact, exclusionary discourses have developed in different forms and contexts, as was evident in the debates in the 1980s that focused on granting French citizenship to male and female migrants who had settled in France during the post-colonial period, and to their children born in the country. In the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, this discourse focused on social issues in the banlieues, and the connection between these issues and Islam, and then, starting in 2015, it began to discuss asylum seekers and refugees arriving in Europe.
Immigration issues came to the forefront in the lead-up to the 2012 presidential election, particularly following the publication of the “Guéhenna Memorandum” in May 2011, which sought to restrict the rights of students from outside the EU to work and reside in France after completing their studies, resulting in a drop in the number of students from 200,000 to 180,000 per year. Although the memorandum and similar laws were repealed in May 2012 under President François Hollande, anti-immigrant rhetoric continues to feature heavily in French public discourse and media.
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An Ipsos study conducted in May this year before the European Parliament elections showed that immigration was the second most influential factor in the decision-making of male and female voters. The survey asked the following question: “Out of the following 15 options, which three issues do you consider most when voting in the European elections?” 33% of respondents chose immigration after purchasing power, with 45% choosing purchasing power, while immigration was the top concern for male and female voters who voted for the far right and the Gaullist conservative Republican direction. In fact, the reason why the far right has been able to successfully use immigration is that they are able to combine immigration with other issues, including lack of economic opportunities, lack of public services, security issues, etc.
There are about 7 million male and female immigrants in France, accounting for 10.3% of the total population. A study titled “Feelings about Immigration and Belonging” published in 2023 by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies showed that 44% of male and female immigrants believed that their conditions in France were better than in their home country, while a considerable number of people (29%) expressed the opposite feeling. The report said that compared with the national average, the descendants of immigrants performed well in many aspects such as education, social status and career development.
On the question of belonging, respondents were asked if they “feel at home” in France, and the majority said yes, with 76% of immigrants and 63% of immigrants answering in the affirmative. When immigrants were asked if others “consider them French”, 20% said “no”, despite being born in France and having French citizenship. It is worth noting that this proportion is mainly from Africa or North Africa.
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While these findings challenge the negative stereotypes often advanced by far-right politicians and their supporters that immigrants are unable to integrate, they still face racial discrimination and hostility despite their improved social status. But economic success does not always come with social inclusion. Another comparative study published in 2016 by the National Institute of Demographic Studies and the National Institute of Statistics and Economics, titled Paths and Origins, came to similar conclusions.
Concerns about far-right rhetoric and its potential impact in the period leading up to the 2027 elections therefore stem not only from its stance on immigration, but also from practices such as workplace discrimination against people whose names indicate they are from other Maghreb countries, which increases the chances of long-term unemployment and economic hardship. In 2021, the French Institute for Public Policy Studies said that people of Maghreb descent (or believed to be so) had a 31.5% lower chance of being employed than others.
Racial and ethnic stereotypes outside the workplace can also undermine a sense of belonging. This is a long-standing problem in France, where black or Arab youth are twenty times more likely to be arrested by police. In 2024, five French and international organizations seeking to address racial profiling submitted a complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
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There is no doubt that the recent French elections reflected the divisions in the local political landscape. Given the victory of the far right in the European elections, it is not surprising that immigration has become one of the main issues of national concern. But it is worth paying attention to its connection with other issues, such as belonging to France, justice, and the reality of existing discrimination. Despite the success in improving some conditions, there are still challenges that threaten national unity.

Yasmin Zaghlul
Carnegie Center’s Diwan Blog
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