http://bit.ly/2Gxu8wc The French government defended a new immigration bill as "completely balanced" on Wednesday despite criticism from rights groups and some ruling party lawmakers that it will lead to thousands of extra deportations. The draft law, which criminalises illegal border crossings and speeds up procedures to deport economic migrants, was presented to the cabinet of President Emmanuel Macron for the first time. It has sparked widespread anger from NGOs, who have branded it repressive, but the centrist government insists it is creating a more efficient system to sift out genuine refugees from those simply seeking a better life in France. "It's a well-balanced law, in line with European law above all, and it is absolutely necessary that countries like Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden have the same type of procedures," Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said.
