In France, the rejection of the government's flagship immigration bill has served a major blow to President Emmanuel Macron, and could pave the way for a new political crisis in the country. On Dec. 11, French opposition parties successfully passed a ''rejection motion'' against the government's immigration bill, in turn preventing the bill from being debated in the National Assembly. The bill, which has been over a year in the making, aims to facilitate the expulsion of dismissed asylum seekers and foreigners who have committed crimes, while simultaneously enabling the regularization of undocumented immigrants working in sectors facing labor shortages, such as construction and hospitality. Although French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin had hoped to secure support from the conservative Les Republicains (LR) party, many LR lawmakers ultimately backed the rejection motion after lawmakers from Macron's Ensemble coalition removed several amendments added to the bill by LR lawmakers in the Senate....
