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It's a way of measuring France's influence that the French themselves are largely unaware of: Thirty of the world's heads of state or government in power in 2023 studied in France.

The ranking of the most influential states in this respect, drawn up by the Higher Education Policy Institute, a British think tank specializing in university policy, puts France in third place behind the United States (where 65 world leaders were educated) and the UK (58 leaders). Behind France comes Russia, where 10 world leaders were trained, followed by Switzerland, Australia, Italy and Spain.

At a time when questions of sovereignty and attractiveness are being widely debated, the issue of welcoming foreign students to our country is more often than not viewed negatively as an "immigration" issue rather than recognized as a means of extending our influence and enhancing our global appeal.

Following in the footsteps of the far right, who tend to see every foreign student as a potential illegal immigrant, Senator Roger Karoutchi (Les Rpublicains, right wing) succeeded, in fall 2023, in pushing through an amendment to the immigration law bill mandating foreign students to pay a deposit to obtain a residence permit for study. This sum is refundable upon the student's departure from the country. The measure was a bait to attract right-wing and far-right voters to the proposed law. Higher education officials opposed the amendment and it was eventually rejected by the Constitutional Council because it bore no relation to the purpose of the bill. However, this rejection does not prevent it from being proposed another time.

"Honestly, it's not a good idea," admitted President Emmanuel Macron, most of whose friends nevertheless voted for it. "I think we need to keep attracting talent and students from all over the world." The clich of foreigners using student status to circumvent residency rules was reinforced by the debate. It does happen but remains a minority phenomenon: 80% of students who arrived in France in 2010 left the country or became French citizens 10 years after their first residence permit was issued. Those who remain make up no less than half of legal labor immigration, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its 2023 report on international migration.

Another slip-up was the suspension of issuing visas and scholarships, at the start of the 2023 academic year, for students from Sahelian countries affected by military coups. This suspension, caused by the closure of consulates, could have been seen as punishment following the putsches, a particularly unfortunate blunder at a time when young Africans are questioning France's African policy.

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'France would do well to see foreign students as agents of influence rather than potential illegal immigrants' - Le Monde

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FAIR Take | April2024

As Americans are looking to Washington for solutions to the border crisis, lawmakers instead are considering a massive tax bill that has major immigration consequences. Special interests are currently lobbying to get the Senate to take upH.R. 7024, theTax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.The bill, if enacted, would expand the Additional Child Tax Credit(ACTC).

The ACTC is a tax credit intended to benefit low-income families. As arefundablecredit, eligible individuals can receive it even if they do not owe any tax. Importantly, the tax credit helps more than low-income American families. Due to a loophole in the law, illegal aliens may also claim the credit. With the proposed expansion of the ACTC in H.R. 7024, that means even more tax dollars will be used to support illegalaliens.

H.R. 7024proposes expanding the ACTC in two ways. First, it increases the maximum amount a parent may claim per qualifying child from $1,600 to $1,800. That increase would be implementedretroactively. H.R. 7024 also increases the ACTC in future years, raising it to $1,900 in 2024, and $2,000 in2025.

H.R. 7024 passed the House on January 31 of this year, but it faces opposition by some in the Senate, particularly from Senator Crapo (R-ID), who is the lead Republican on the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax related matters. While most of the in-fighting relates to traditional work eligibility requirements, Congress has still not addressed the loopholes in the law that allow illegal aliens to claim thecredit.

Currently,the lawdoes not require either the parents or dependent children to be citizens or otherwise have lawful status (such as legal permanent residence) in order to claim the ACTC. It only requires that the dependent children have social security numbers. That means illegal alien parents can file tax returns using anIndividual Taxpayer Identification Numberand claim the credit for qualifying children. To make matters worse, the Biden Administration is now releasing millions of illegal aliens into the U.S. in ways that make them, and their children, eligible for work authorization and social security numbers. They will also be allowed to claim thecredit.

The cost of the expansion to taxpayers will no doubt be immense. The Center on Budget and Policy Prioritiesestimatesthat the proposed expansion of the ACTC would provide 16 million children more money in tax refunds. According to the Congressional Budget Office, all of the changes to the Child Tax Credit would increase government spending by $30.6 billion over just a two-year period(2024-2026).

While these concerns have not been addressed, it has not stopped Majority Leader Schumer from working behind the scenes to peel off Republican members to support of the $79 billion bill. TheWashington Postreported last week that the prospects could be growing rosier and that privately, some Republican Senators are increasingly willing to support thebill.

Desperate to get this over the finish line, some have called on Schumer to put the bill on the floor and see where the votes are. Last week,Schumer saidto reporters,Look Im all for the package, if there are enough votes to move it forward in the right way, yeah, well try to get it on the floor, Schumer said, adding that the sponsors are trying to see if there are enoughvotes.

FAIR has expressed concern about H.R. 7024 to congressional leaders, and has repeatedly urged House and Senate members to increase immigration enforcement and reduce the incentives that draw illegal aliens to the United States. The tax bill currently in the Senate would simply reward those who have entered the U.S. in the past several years rather than fixing the broken immigrationsystem.

Congress should not expand the Additional Child Tax Credit without closing loopholes allowing illegal aliens to take advantage ofit. Senator Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) has a bill to close one of the loopholes in the law. Her bill,S. 3798, would requirethat theparents, in addition to the children, have Social Security numbers to claim the credit, indicating the parents have work authorization. Although this wouldnt completely solve the issue, given that it would still allow otherwise illegal aliens with work-authorized SSNs to potentially claim the credit, it would be animprovement.

TheTax Relief for American Families and Workers Actis one example of how taxpayer-funded benefits incentivize and support those who have violated our immigration laws. The bill places a financial burden on American taxpayers, especially at a time when they are being asked to spend billions on border security to end the crisis that the Biden Administrationcreated.

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On Tax Day, Special Interest Groups are Pushing Congress to Expand Tax Breaks that Benefit Illegal Aliens | FAIRUS.org - Federation for American...

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April 12, 2024 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry. Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 507,200 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 41,500 criminal arrests, with more than 36,900 felony charges. In the fight against the fentanyl crisis, Texas law enforcement has seized over 471 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission. Texas has also transported:

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden Administrations refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Joe Bidens open border policies. RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR: Governor Abbott: Texas Will Arrest Illegal Immigrants For Cutting Razor Wire On X, formerly known as Twitter, Governor Abbott reaffirmed Texas efforts to arrest every illegal immigrant who cuts the razor wire barrier built by the Texas National Guard with criminal destruction of state property.

Governor Abbott: Border Wall Construction Continues In Zapata County Governor Abbott shared footage of ongoing border wall construction in Zapata County on X. Texas continues to work around-the-clock to deter and repel illegal immigration along the southern border.

Governor Abbott: National Guard Reinforce Border Barriers In El Paso Governor Abbott shared a photo on X of Texas National Guard soldiers reinforcing razor wire barriers to stop illegal entry following the migrant surge in El Paso.

WATCH: DPS Troopers Arrest Human Smuggler In Kinney County While conducting a traffic stop in Kinney County, a DPS trooper observed two passengers lying down and attempting to conceal themselves in the rear of the vehicle. During the traffic stop, two illegal immigrants bailed toward the brush. The trooper also discovered two more illegal immigrants concealed in the trunk of the vehicle after one attempted to evade. The driver, Joshua Jevon Griffin from Beaumont, was arrested and charged with smuggling of persons. With assistance from Border Patrol, the two illegal immigrants who bailed toward the brush were apprehended. All four illegal immigrants, from Mexico, were referred to Border Patrol.

WATCH: DPS Troopers Arrest Illegal Immigrant For Assaulting Public Servant During a traffic stop in Val Verde County, a DPS trooper observed multiple people crammed in the rear area of a Chevrolet Tahoe. As the trooper arrested the driver, Amy Nicole Martinez from San Angelo, the passenger, Jaron Markeis Daniels from Dallas, ran toward the neighborhood and was arrested after a short foot chase. Martinez is charged with five counts of smuggling of persons. Daniels is charged with five counts of smuggling of persons, evading arrest, and resisting arrest. Four illegal immigrants were referred to U.S. Border Patrol. A fifth illegal immigrant, Jesus Aguilar-Aguilar from Mexico, was charged with evading arrest, assault on a public servant, and resisting arrest after a brief struggle with a trooper.

Seven Human Smugglers Arrested By DPS Brush Team In The Rio Grande Valley As part of an enhanced three-day border operation, the DPS Brush Team in the Rio Grande Valley arrested seven human smuggling foot guides. The seven guides, from Mexico, were involved in guiding illegal immigrants across the Rio Grande River to then be smuggled further into Texas and the United States.

DPS Brush Team Arrest Career Criminal Illegally In The Country The DPS Brush Team in the Rio Grande Valley arrested Gabriel Gutierrez-Perez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, after they saw him get picked up by a human smuggler while crossing the Rio Grande River on a jet ski. DPS later discovered Gutierrez-Perez is wanted in Florida for sexual assault on a child, child molestation, and sexual battery on a child. The Mexican national also has a full extradition warrant.

WATCH: Nations' Guardsmen Continue To Aid Texas Border Mission National Guardsmen from across the country continue to arrive in Texas to assist the state's historic and unprecedented mission to respond to President Bidens border crisis. Soldiers and airman from Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Tennessee are helping Texas National Guardsmen build and reinforce anti-climb barriers to deter and repel illegal crossings along the Texas-Mexico border.

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Operation Lone Star Arrests Violent Criminals, Human Smugglers - Office of the Texas Governor

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SALT LAKE CITY Listening to the fierce ongoing debate about illegal immigration and frequently harsh talk about undocumented immigrants hits close to home for Eva Lpez.

"It's a personal story to me because I was born from an undocumented immigrant, and I know the contributions of my family personally," said Lpez, a new member of the Salt Lake City Council. "I'll tell you this without those workers, you wouldn't have food on the table, and that's my family's background in farm work and labor."

Across the nation and Utah, calls are growing from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for more steps to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants across the southern border with Mexico. Parallel to that, the tone of the political conversation, chiefly from the right, has grown particularly hard against undocumented immigrants themselves.

In a press conference late last month, Gov. Spencer Cox lamented the "dysfunctional" federal response to the border issue, saying it might necessitate a harder stance at the state level against undocumented immigrants. He was referencing a measure he signed into law in March, HB165, that Rep. Trevor Lee, its author, sees as a potential precursor to Texas-style legislation authorizing Utah law enforcement officials to round up and deport undocumented immigrants.

"If we have people in our custody and ICE isn't willing to take them and deport them, then I guess ... the states are going to have to do that," Cox said.

Former President Donald Trump, vying again for the top office, has offered harsh talk in the context of killings and other crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. "The Democrats say, 'Please don't call them animals. They're humans.' I said, 'No, they're not humans, they're not humans, they're animals,'" Trump, a Republican, said at a rally earlier this month in Michigan, according to Reuters.

Such strong talk notwithstanding, others, like Lpez and Utah Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, say the issue is more nuanced than suggested by those offering the stronger talk. They view the toughest talk coming from the right as the weaponization of the issue for political gain.

"I've been really disappointed with the tone people have taken toward undocumented immigrants," said Romero, also the president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators. She particularly laments "people being dehumanized that are searching for better opportunities for their families."

Lack of control at the U.S.-Mexico border, Romero said, has been an ongoing issue under both Democratic and Republican administrations that needs to be fixed by U.S. lawmakers. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, could do more to get control of the border, she said. But she also noted what some view as a capitulation by congressional GOPers to Trump on a border fix that had seemingly had bipartisan backing before the former president blasted it and support fizzled.

"So again, we're not looking for a solution. From my perspective, we're looking at scapegoating people and dehumanizing them for political gain, which I think is ridiculous," Romero charged.

Lpez sees "fear mongering" from the harshest critics in the immigration debate and instead puts the focus on the contributions of immigrants, undocumented or otherwise. Both she and Romero noted immigrants' historic role in the nation's growth while Lpez said a key element of the discussion should center on "how to protect these families that have the right to seek asylum" and incorporate them into the state.

"I'm interested in building community, and I know those immigrants are, too. They're interested in joining our communities," Lpez said. Her parents, originally from Mexico, "were able to move up and get proper documentation. I mean, for many of us, that is our story."

Central in the immigration debate, apart from the significant uptick in numbers of people trying to cross illegally from Mexico into the United States, has been the impact undocumented immigrants have in the communities where they settle. Critics point to the costs of educating undocumented children in public schools, their use of public services, the medical and other benefits the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants can tap and more. They also note the violent crimes committed by some, like the February killing in Georgia of Laken Riley in which a Venezuelan national, Jose Antonio Ibarra, who had crossed illegally into the United States, is charged.

Incidents like Riley's killing, immigrant advocates counter, are anomalies, not reflective of how the vast majority of immigrants in the United States, regardless of their migratory status, live their day-to-day lives. Beyond that, they say, undocumented immigrants play a vital role in the labor force and contribute significantly to the U.S. economy.

"Truthfully, as an immigrant, I can say that we do many things that benefit this country," said Oscar Correa, host of a program on La Ley 107.1 FM, a Spanish-language Salt Lake City radio station. "The people here who are undocumented are hard-working people, people who come here to better their families."

Immigrants were key pillar of the labor force during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many others worked from home, he said, and they play a key role in Utah's vibrant construction industry. Correa, originally from Colombia, addresses current events and more during his radio program, frequently interviewing members of the Latino and immigrant communities and meeting with them at events hosted by La Ley.

"They're people who aren't asking the government for any benefits, only that it let them work," he said. "I think Utah commerce of late has grown a lot, and Hispanics, immigrants have a lot to do with that."

As the debate has evolved in the state, some politicos, like Republican gubernatorial challenger Phil Lyman, have charged that Utah is "a sanctuary state," essentially soft on undocumented immigrants. Cox, for one, has rebuked the contention.

Lopez, asked about the label, said, instead, that Utah is a place where "family values" dominate.

"Because of that, we are welcoming to families. Regardless of the title you put on it, again, we are a state that has always valued that and valued empowering individuals and their families to seek opportunities. ... That has paved our success economically as a state."

Correa said the immigration debate has caused squirming among some in the community. Regardless, immigrants are also cognizant that they add to the country.

"We feel a little bit of uncertainty. But at the same time, we are also conscious that we've done a lot of good things all this time we've been in the United States," he said.

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Utah immigrant advocates blast anti-illegal immigration talk as 'fear mongering,' 'dehumanizing' - KSL.com

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Today, America is safer thanks to the agents of HSI

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSIs mission is to investigate, disrupt and dismantle terrorist, transnational and other criminal organizations that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States.

HSI has broad legal authority to conduct federal criminal investigations into the illegal cross-border movement of people, goods, money, technology and other contraband throughout the United States. HSI utilizes these authorities to investigate a wide array of transnational crime, including: terrorism; national security threats; narcotics smuggling; transnational gang activity; child exploitation; human smuggling and trafficking; illegal exports of controlled technology and weapons; money laundering; financial fraud and scams; worksite and employment crimes; cybercrime; intellectual property theft and trade fraud; identity and benefit fraud; and human rights violations and war crimes.

In collaboration with its strategic partners in the U.S. and abroad, HSI special agents gather evidence to identify and build criminal cases against Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), terrorist networks and facilitators, and other criminal elements that threaten the United States. HSI works with prosecutors to indict and arrest violators, execute criminal search warrants, seize criminally derived money and assets, and take other actions designed to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations operating around the world. These efforts protect U.S. national, border, and economic security, and ensure the safety of the public and our communities.

HSIs workforce consists of more than 8,700 employees, including special agents, criminal analysts, mission support personnel and contract staff assigned to offices throughout the United States and around the world.

Most of HSIs 6,000 special agents are assigned to one of HSIs 237 Special Agent in Charge (SAC) offices or sub-offices located across the nation. HSIs domestic footprint is supplemented by more than 2,800 task force officers representing key strategic federal, state and local partners in the fight to combat transnational criminal organizations.

HSIs international force is DHSs largest investigative presence abroad, anchored by special agents assigned to U.S. embassies, consulates and Department of Defense (DOD) combatant commands around the globe. HSI has one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

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Homeland Security Investigations - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Newsroom

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