topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2304.58 1.43
DAX 6766.67 1.67
IBEX 30 8861.2 1.01
CAC 40 3427.92 1.52
FTSE 100 5901.07 1.81
AEX 326.33 1.01
DJIA 12852.47 1.16
Nasdaq 2903.2 1.52
FTSE MIB 16439.62 1.00
TSX Composite 12586.47 0.26
ASX 4320.1 -0.30
Hang seng 20756.98 0.08
Straits Times 2917.95 0.58
ISEQ 20 506.95 2.24
You are here: Home News French News France frees migrants detained in Calais raid

French News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


23/04/2009France frees migrants detained in Calais raid

Nine migrants are still in the custody of French authorities and will be charged with people trafficking.

LILLE – French authorities have released around 190 undocumented migrants, officials said Wednesday, one day after a major police operation against a squatter camp in the Channel port of Calais.

Only nine of the approximately 200 migrants detained in Tuesday's raid were still in custody, police and judicial officials said, as prosecutors decided whether they should be charged in relation to people trafficking.

Aside from the nine being held for questioning, nine more have been freed pending hearings on whether they should be expelled from France for breaching immigration rules, Boulogne prosecutor Jean-Philippe Joubert told AFP.

Of the others, the vast majority have simply been freed to return to Calais and resume their attempts to cross the Channel illegally to Britain, although some minors among them have been placed in care homes.

Tuesday's sweep, in which 500 police officers sealed off one of Calais' most notorious squatter camps and searched motorway rest areas, was attacked by rights groups as a media stunt ahead of a ministerial visit.

Immigration Minister Eric Besson is due in Calais on Thursday to announce measures to deal with the problem posed by the hundreds of migrants sleeping rough there while seeking means to continue on to Britain.

Most of those arrested on Tuesday were Afghans.

Besson last visited Calais on 27 January and promised that he would come up with a permanent solution to the problems posed by the migrants by 1 May.

Until November 2002, many of the arrivals from Asia, the Middle East and Africa crossing France en route for what they believe would be a better life in Britain were housed at an organised camp in Sangatte, near Calais.

The then interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who is now the French president, closed the centre following pressure from London, which said it encouraged migrants to make the illegal and dangerous trip across the Channel.

Since then, however, travellers have continued to arrive in the region. As their numbers have built up in the woods and dunes in and around Calais they have become a concern to local officials.

AFP / Expatica

 


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

Sport in France

Open House at RITUEL PARIS - FREE CLASSES ON SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5TH

Community Noticeboard France

Republicans Abroad Europe

Immigration and Legal Problems

Doing PACS with my lesbian partner in France

Healthcare in France

U.S. federal employee health insurance coverage abroad

Discuss French Culture

<Dating>What are your views on dating the French?

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Management culture in France

Management culture in France

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes information on business hierarchy, negotiations, and etiquette.

American associations and clubs in Paris

American associations and clubs in Paris

A listing of organizations in the Paris area that cater primarily to Americans living in France. Updated April 2011.

British associations and clubs in Paris

British associations and clubs in Paris

Our handy guide to the British community in Paris, from cricket clubs to Scottish country dancing lessons to where to find a jar of Marmite.

Anglophone services in France

Anglophone services in France

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in France, from how to open a bank account to Islamic banking and investments.