For decades, the debate on immigration has been framed, especially by people on the Left, as a Whites vs. people of color issue. It was a very convenient way to brand anyone who called for tougher immigration policies a racist, even when the reasons invoked had nothing whatsoever to do with race.
In France, it has become the major point of contention between Left and Right, even though that political divide predates immigration becoming such an important topic. Today, where you are on the political spectrum is pretty much determined by your stance on immigration, regardless of your views on the economy or of your position on other issues such as same-sex marriage. Being in favor of stricter immigration policies automatically places you on the Right. In fact, lawlessness is slowly becoming so normal that all it takes for you to be called a fascist is to ask that the law be enforced.
To me, all this is completely ridiculous. In Denmark, for instance, Left and Right have managed to reach an agreement on immigration and this doesn't really surprise me.
Le Danemark a fait le choix d’une politique migratoire stricte (lepoint.fr)
I think the issue should be approached from a practical and pragmatic, not from an ideological and dogmatic perspective.
As a matter of fact, I believe that if leftists actually cared about working class people as they so often claim to, they would have a stronger stance than the Right on immigration. It seems to me that mass immigration benefits the capital more than it does the proletariat, as it gives the former unlimited access to cheaper labor. Besides, it is working class people who have to cohabit with the newcomers whose way of life does not always match theirs. In the 1980’s, the late leader of the French Communist Party Georges Marchais called for a halt to immigration, both illegal and legal. arguing that it made no sense to let other workers in when there are already many jobless ones in the country.
Georges Marchais : Stop à l'immigration, officielle et clandestine - 21 février 1981 - YouTube
Progressives claim they want to build a less patriarchal, more LGBTQ-inclusive society, yet they insist on bringing in people whose attitudes towards women and LGBTQ people are not exactly in line with their agenda.
I think things will have to change eventually. As long as it was only White folks who complained about the massive influx of foreigners, it was really easy to play the race card. But on both sides of the Atlantic, there are also people of color and people who are themselves of foreign descent who denounce the ill effects of immigration, especially illegal. I have to say, sometimes it is quite fun to watch if you bear in mind that most of them probably support the politicians who created this situation.
Blacks in Chicago Say “NO” to Illegal Immigrants - YouTube
A couple of years ago, there were clashes in my hometown between North Africans and Chechens. Later on, judging that the prefect had not handled the situation properly, members of the North-African community launched a demonstration to ask his resignation. Their complaint: police had not been sent in to protect them, which I found hilarious knowing that the police are not usually welcome in their neighborhood.