Patrick Stefanini, Republican figure, appointed special representative of the Minister of the Interior on immigration

This appointment comes at a time when the government is required to give pledges to the RN to avoid censorship of its budgetary texts.

A Republican figure to help in the fight against immigration. Former prefect Patrick Stefanini was appointed, Friday, November 29, special representative of the Minister of the Interior on immigration. “This appointment is part of a firm desire of the Minister of the Interior to fight for better control of migratory flows and to strengthen the security of the French”the ministry said in a press release.

Patrick Stefanini, 71, is associated with many figures in the recent history of LR. He was the main inspiration for migration policy under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, as secretary general of the Ministry of Immigration, Integration and National Identity. He subsequently managed the presidential campaigns of François Fillon, in 2017, and Valérie Pécresse, in 2022.

His appointment comes at a time when the government is required to give pledges to the RN to avoid censorship of its budgetary texts. “This mission letter is part of (…) a reconquest of France’s sovereignty in matters of migration policy”commented the former prefect in an interview with Paris Match.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, Patrick Stefanini will be responsible for “the conclusion of new bilateral readmission agreements or arrangements with source countries of immigration and transit”and the possible renegotiation of existing agreements. The objective will be to facilitate the expulsion of foreigners, sometimes blocked by their countries of origin.

“One of the important challenges of its mission will be the inclusion of readmission clauses for third-country nationals and stateless persons, whether for new or existing agreements”underlines the press release. These clauses would make it possible to circumvent the current ban on expelling a foreigner to his country of origin if it is in the grip of war or “in the event of a risk of inhuman or degrading treatment”.