France’s Senate on Thursday approved a draft law that would prohibit undocumented immigrants from getting married in France, a measure intended to curb illegal immigration by cracking down on sham marriages used to secure residence permits or French nationality. The legislation, supported by Immigration Minister Bruno Retailleau and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, was backed at its first reading by 227 senators, with 110 voting against, and now awaits further approval in the National Assembly.
The government is seeking to tighten its immigration policies and border controls, reflecting a broader rightward shift in French politics following last summer’s legislative elections, which resulted in a hung parliament. However, the proposed law has been criticized by the left as unconstitutional. Critics point out that it runs counter to a 2003 ruling by the French Constitutional Council, which held that a foreigner’s irregular status “cannot in itself be an obstacle to the marriage of the person concerned.”
Greens senator Melanie Vogel denounced the bill as “a full-scale attack on the Constitution,” while Socialist Corinne Narassiguin argued that the initiative merely amplifies “an anxiety-provoking climate of xenophobia and racism.” The move follows a controversial incident involving a mayor in northern France, who was taken to court by a former mosque leader for refusing to officiate his wedding in 2023; the mosque leader was subsequently deported.
In a related case, prosecutors summoned Robert Menard, the mayor of Beziers in southern France, after he refused to officiate a wedding between a French woman and an undocumented Algerian man earlier in 2023. Under French law, marriages are required to be conducted in city halls, a stipulation that has come under increased scrutiny in light of these events.
