France dismantles coastal camp of illegal immigrants

After vowing for months to shut down an illegal immigrant camp near Calais, the French government began dismantling it early Tuesday. (Voice of America)

The operation to dismantle the Calais-area camp was confirmed by French Immigration Minister Eric Besson in an interview on French radio.

Besson rejected criticism over the closure, saying the zone, known locally as “the jungle,” was not a humanitarian camp but rather a hub for human traffickers and a place where people were exploited. He said the law of the jungle cannot be tolerated In France.

Until recently, hundreds of illegal immigrants, many of them from Afghanistan, lived in the camp, hoping to cross the English channel to what they hoped was a better life in Britain. Many had arrived to the Calais squatter area after dangerous journeys through Asia and Europe.

As of Monday, there were about 250 illegals remaining. But local media reported that many of them left before the police operation. The camp has become a source of tension among Calais residents and in France’s relations with Britain, with London pushing for tighter border control.

As in several other European countries, the center-right French government has cracked down on illegal immigration in recent years. And Besson said Europe must eradicate human trafficking.

But immigrant rights activists claim that closing the Calais camp would not solve France’s illegal immigration problem because many illegals simply move down the coast. That is what happened when the French government closed a similar camp in 2002. The illegals later moved back, and “the jungle” was established.

Besson said the French government will be closing more migrant camps along the coast in the coming weeks. He said the migrants could request asylum or accept voluntary repatriation. Others would be forcibly expelled.