French President Emmanuel Macron will sign the new law seeking to toughen immigration rules in the country in the coming hours, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed on Thursday.

"I have been in touch with the president of the republic. He will sign the law in the next few hours," Darmanin said in a televised appearance on French broadcaster TF1.

The minister added that he will convene a meeting with all prefects on Friday morning at Macron's request and order them to begin enforcing the law immediately.

"By February or March, all prefects will be required to compile the files of all foreign criminals we could not deport and do so in the following days and weeks," Darmanin indicated.

He welcomed the decision of the French Constitutional Council, which approved key articles proposed by the government and rejected amendments made by the opposition.

"The approved law has 50 articles, 26 of which were proposed by the government. Never before has the republic had such a strict law against foreign criminals. Also, the government has never had so many tools to integrate foreigners: for example, from now on, all residence permits will be issued only if they pass the French language exam successfully," Darmanin explained.

Later, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported that several hundred people gathered in central Paris to demand that the new law seeking to toughen immigration rules in France be withdrawn. 

Protesters gathered at the Place du Louvre in the center of Paris, near the building of the French Constitutional Council, and chanted slogans demanding "solidarity for all." Their banners read "We have a place to shelter everyone."

Du monde à Paris place du Louvre pour réagir à la décision du Conseil constitutionnel sur la #LoiImmigration pic.twitter.com/6oBzpAqtDL

— Nejma Brahim (@NejmaBrahim) January 25, 2024

Earlier on Thursday, the French Constitutional Council rejected more than a third of the original text of the law as these contradicted the country's constitution. The scrapped parts include the article tightening the rules for entry on a family visa, the obligation for non-EU students to leave the country, as well as the introduction of "migration quotas," which the council said were unconstitutional.

Furthermore, the council considered criminal penalties for illegal stay in France, differences in access to social security depending on the type of professional employment and length of stay in the country, as well as changes in the right to French citizenship by birth in the country's territory, as inconsistent with current French legislation.

On December 19, the new immigration law was approved by both chambers of the French parliament after lengthy debates. It caused a massive outcry among French politicians. Then-Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau resigned on December 20, while several French regions governed by left-wing politicians said they would not implement the provisions of the new law.

The law on asylum and migration includes many measures to tighten control over the deportation of undocumented migrants and revocation of residence permits from those committing crimes. The government described it as the "toughest" law ever on immigration.

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