Nicolas Sarkozy and the politics of French immigration policy

Abstract: Since 2002, French immigration policy has been largely driven by Nicolas Sarkozy, as Minister of the Interior, leader of the centre-right UMP and, from 2007, President of the Republic. His discourse and action on immigration control and integration have diverged in significant respects from earlier centre-right handling of these issues. This contribution seeks to explore how and why Sarkozy has changed the terms of the immigration debate in France by examining the way in which policy has evolved and by identifying the forces driving the conduct and stance of the centre-right in France. In particular, it assesses the extent to which shifts in policy have been a response to political competition and public opinion. It concludes that party political considerations have been a major factor in Sarkozy's strategy and that, while this appears to have paid off in electoral terms, its success in social terms is more equivocal.