France: Authorities move to clear migrants from squalid Calais camp

April 24, 2009
A makeshift camp in Calais known as The Jungle, which is home to hundreds of migrants trying to reach Britain, is to be cleared out by French police.

Eric Besson, the French Immigration Minister, said the camp, where Afghans, Iraqis, Iranians and other nationalities sleep in homemade tents, would be dismantled by the end of the year. French charities said that he was merely displacing the migrants, who would remain in the Calais region while trying to find a way across the Channel.

The row follows a 100 per cent increase in the number of migrants caught at Calais port this year, many of whom risk their lives in the attempt to get to Britain. More than 1,000 were detected in refrigerated lorries between January and March.


The Times (U.K.)


This entry is in the following archive(s): |

More Immigration Stories From France

France: Migrants spurn new Calais welcome center

May 06, 2009
French government advice centre to help migrants in Calais who want to stay in France opened this week - and failed to get a single inquiry. Critics said the zero response was proof that the migrants only ever had one...
Continue Reading

France: Controversial squatter camp to be closed by end of the year

April 27, 2009
France aims to shut down by the end of the year a squatter camp in the Channel port of Calais used by migrants heading for Britain, Immigration Minister Eric Besson said. The minister unveiled a six-point plan to help hundreds...
Continue Reading

France: Authorities move to clear migrants from squalid Calais camp

April 24, 2009
A makeshift camp in Calais known as The Jungle, which is home to hundreds of migrants trying to reach Britain, is to be cleared out by French police. Eric Besson, the French Immigration Minister, said the camp, where Afghans, Iraqis,...
Continue Reading

France: Police shut down Calais squatter camp for U.K.-bound migrants

April 23, 2009
Eric Besson, who is visiting Calais, said a wooded area known as 'the jungle', which is home to around 800 migrants and where a London student was raped last year, would be cleared and sealed off. 'The jungle will cease...
Continue Reading

France: Police urged to eschew raids, focus on people smugglers

April 22, 2009
A police blitz on almost 200 illegal immigrants in Calais has been branded a 'waste of time' - because most people-smuggling chiefs already live in Britain, it was claimed today. The swoop on refugees gangs living in squalid woodland camps...
Continue Reading

More Immigration Stories From World

Canada: M.P.'s case focuses attention on nanny program

May 18, 2009
OTTAWA - If there's a silver lining in the Ruby Dhalla affair, it may be for the organizations who have long sought better protection for thousands of Filipinas who come to Canada each year to work as nannies and caregivers....
Continue Reading

Canada: Imm. Minister weighs options in case of released killer

May 18, 2009
The Canadian Immigration Minister's office is looking at all options to get a convicted Bosnian murderer back into custody. Elvir Pobric was convicted of the execution-style shooting of two men in Bosnia back in 1992. He served 3 years of...
Continue Reading

Jamaica: Gay men often driven to pursue asylum

May 18, 2009
Lisa Biagiotti is reporting on HIV/AIDS, sexuality and young gay men in Jamaica. Her interest in the subject began when she met Alex Brown* 18 months ago. The story below is his - of a gay Jamaican who received asylum...
Continue Reading

U.K.: Home Office rules take aim at shady immigration advisers

May 18, 2009
The UK Home Office is proposing tough new rules to tackle rogue immigration advisers. Historically, many immigrants have suffered at the hands of unscrupulous and dishonest immigration advisors. The proposals would give greater powers to the Office of the Immigration...
Continue Reading

U.K.: New points-based system affects student visas

May 18, 2009
The UK Border Agency has issued a reminder to would-be student visa applicants to check their UK visa letters before submitting their applications. Foreign nationals who want to study in the UK must apply for a visa under Tier 4...
Continue Reading