The Socialist leader has vowed to "completely dismantle" the camp. But human rights groups and right-wing leaders have called on the president to do more about irregular migration, though from different vantage points.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Huguen
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French President Francois Hollande on Monday visited Calais to speak with law enforcement agents and aid workers about the city's makeshift settlement, where up to 10,000 migrants live in poor conditions.
Hollande vowed to "completely and definitively dismantle" the camp, widely known as the "jungle," promising to resettle asylum seekers in reception centers around the country after the demolition. Earlier this year, authorities razed half of the camp.
On Saturday, the president said France "will provide a humane, dignified welcome to people who will file for the right of asylum." However, those rejected "will be escorted out of the country. Those are the rules and they are fully aware of them."
The French government said the informal settlement will be scrapped "before winter," although no timeline was offered for the demolition. The president's visit to Calais is seen as a bid to shore up support ahead of the presidential elections next year.
Hollande has come under pressure from his conservative predecessor Nicholas Sarkozy and anti-immigrant leader Marine Le Pen to curb the flow of migrants from war-torn countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Facing partial eviction, migrants scramble in Calais 'Jungle'
French officials called for a buffer zone to be cleared between a road leading to the Eurotunnel and the 'Jungle' refugee camp, causing residents to scramble to save their dwellings. Diego Cupolo reports from Calais.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
The relocation effort
Independent volunteers have been helping Calais residents move their homes after French authorities called for a 100-meter buffer zone to be cleared around a highway adjacent to the camp. "We hope to let them keep their dignity and whatever self respect they still have after being stuck in this dump," said a volunteer who wanted to remain anonymous.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
24-hour police presence
Pictured above, the highway leads to the Eurotunnel, where asylum-seekers try to jump on trucks to enter England. There's heavy police presence in the area and many who attempt the journey are caught, but remain undeterred. Mohammed Shakh, a 21-year-old Syrian said, "Plan A is truck to England. Plan B is train to England. Plan C is boat to England."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
By any means necessary
After passing the initial Thursday deadline, the exact date the buffer zone will be cleared remains unknown. Volunteers have been rushing to move makeshift homes by any means necessary, and some believe their efforts have so far warded off bulldozers. By Friday, nearly 100 existing shelters were relocated in the camp and 40 new homes were constructed away from the highway.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Clearing more than brush
Members of Care4Calais have been clearing areas of thorny shrubs, garbage and often times, human waste, in effort to make space for new homes. "I received so much hospitality when I lived on Afghanistan's doorstep and I want to show them that same level of respect and hospitality now that they've come to my doorstep," said Care4Calais volunteer Ruth Boggiuth.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Holding out, peacefully
Meanwhile, some refugees living in the demolition area continue living in their shelters. Approximately, 1,500 of 4,500 camp inhabitants will be affected by the new buffer zone. "I'm not moving my house," said Saifullah Barati, an Afghan who's passed four months in Calais. "If the police want to move it, they can do it. I'm not going to fight them."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Container camp
The French government is currently building a camp next to Calais, which is expected to house about 2,000 people, but many asylum-seekers said they would not move in because entry requires their palm prints to be recorded by authorities - a measure they fear will limit their residence options in Europe and force them to stay in France.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
French resistance
"We see how France treats us," said Mohammed Shakh, a Syrian refugee, while speaking inside his shelter. "They think we are stupid and we will give them fingerprints to stay in the new camp. It is like a jail there. They won't let us leave after we enter and I never want to live in this country."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Tensions rising
The eviction notice along with increased police presence have resulted in more violence inside the camp, according to MSF engineer Maud Le Quintrec. After scabies, the second most common reason for doctor visits in Calais is now due to injuries obtained during fights among refugees and nightly clashes with riot police, Le Quintrec said.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'The problem is spreading'
"People understand that the government might begin to slowly reduce the size of Calais so they are moving out and creating new 'jungles' in other places." Le Quintrec said, noting 120 inhabitants from Calais recently settled a new camp in Belgium. "Basically, some people are responding by leaving and the problem is spreading to different areas."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
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'End the limbo'
The Calais camp, which houses migrants attempting to flee to the UK, has been a stain on Hollande's migration policy due to government inaction and allegations of human rights abuse by law enforcement officials.
In 2015, Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a scathing report on the camp, which included migrants' testimonies of police brutality and even torture.
"The police checked the truck and found," a 25-year-old Eritrean woman told HRW. "I said, 'Please help me,' but they beat me and I collapsed outside the truck. They kicked me on the ground."
HRW's Western Europe researcher Izza Leghtas urged French authorities to not solely abide by legal obligations, but also "end the limbo for many asylum seekers in Calais."
"Asylum seekers and migrants shouldn't have to face police violence in France, and no one who applies for asylum should be left to live in the street," Leghtas said.
Hollande pledged to accept 80,000 refugees in 2016, a small fraction compared to the amount of asylum seekers Germany has received and hosted since last year.
