Some 500 people illegally camping in Grande-Synthe commune in France's Nord department were taken by police to regional reception centers, the police of the Nord department told Sputnik on Thursday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2018) Some 500 people illegally camping in Grande-Synthe commune in France's Nord department were taken by police to regional reception centers, the police of the Nord department told Sputnik on Thursday.
"Since September 2017, we have regularly been carrying out evacuation operations to shelter migrants, because their living conditions are a disgrace, they are unhealthy. We do it together with the OFII [French Office of Immigration and Integration], and that allows us to examine the administrative situation of these migrants and regulate their rights. Today's operation is not different from what we have been doing already for a year," the police said, adding that about 500-600 people were evacuated from the area.
A total of 200 police officers took part in the operation, carried out in accordance with a decision made by the regional court of Dunkirk, which ruled the "little jungle" around Grande-Synthe's train station was illegal and had to be dismantled.
Migrant charities working in the region say that many migrants prefer staying in the streets and avoid going to the specialized reception centers, fearing immediate deportation. However, according to the police of Grande-Synthe, if these migrants are willing to stay on French soil and not attempt to illegally enter the United Kingdom, they can get asylum in France.
"More than 90% of cases can be regulated," a police representative said.
The Grande-Synthe camp, populated mostly by Kurds, was built by humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in March 2016 to accommodate migrants and refugees living in tents and makeshift shelters. Half of the migrants living in the camp arrived there after the dismantlement of the infamous Calais refugee camp in October 2016. Last September, local police proceeded with the evacuation of the Grande-Synthet camp.
Over the past several months, France has been struggling to tackle the issue of makeshift migrant camps set up across Paris and other big cities.
