HOME Secretary Amber Rudd defended the UK Government’s record on French migrant camps yesterday as operations to clear “the Jungle” began.
At least 7,000 people have been living in the makeshift dwellings in the squalid camp amidst poor safety and sanitation.
Yesterday they gathered their belongings in rucksacks, holdalls and wheelie bins and made for a processing warehouse at 7am in a bid to register for accommodation centres elsewhere in France.
Buses began dispersing residents across the country ahead of demolition work at the rat-infested site, set to begin today.
Aid workers advised refugees and migrants to register for the buses together as they believe this will give certain groups of friends or communities the best chance to avoid separation.
A group of 50 Sudanese nationals were taken to the Burgundy region as the first bus left less than an hour after processing started. By 1.30pm, around 900 people had left on more than 20 coaches.
But the process was halted at the request of French authorities, with officials unclear on when this will restart.
A further 85 buses were expected to arrive today and tomorrow, with unaccompanied minors the only group permitted to stay in Calais, where they were taken to shipping containers with bunk beds within a secure area of the camp.
Laura Griffiths, senior field manager for Safe Passage UK, said her group – part of the Citizens UK charity – said work to help an estimated 900 unaccompanied minors in the camp must be prioritised, saying: “They all need to be safeguarded, they all need protection, whether that’s in France or Britain.”
In a statement in the House of Commons last night, Rudd said dismantling the Jungle – a process expected to take three days – is in the national interest of both the UK and France.
She told MPs French authorities had blocked earlier attempts to send UK officials there to assess children who may be eligible for asylum in the UK, saying this had only recently been given.
However, she said “good progress” is now being made, with 800 young people interviewed in the last seven days, adding: “Every child presented in the last week has been interviewed by UK staff. Much of this work has been carried out in difficult conditions.
“On a number of occasions interviews have been paused and UK staff have withdrawn for safety reasons.”
More than 80 children were brought across the English Channel to join UK-based relatives in the first nine months of the year.
“More than 200 others have followed since the start of the month, including more than 60 girls, and Rudd said “several hundred more” will also be helped.
Those deemed most vulnerable to sexual exploitation and other dangers will be moved first and priority will also be given to those most likely to gain refugee status or aged 12 or under.
UK authorities will also deal only with youngsters currently in the camp, refusing to extend this in order to avoid creating a “pull factor” which could, Rudd said, attract more juveniles to follow.
The Home Secretary said around 50 more children could be brought to the UK from refugee camps in Greece and Italy, where thousands more remain in search of a safe, permanent home after fleeing war, terror and danger in their home countries.
More than 100 young people are thought to have gone missing during the last camp eviction and Rabbi Janet Darley of Citizens UK warned this must not be repeated, saying: “Every single child must be accounted for and transferred to safe accommodation before the end of the day. We cannot have a situation where children are in limbo as night falls.
“As many as 1,000 children, including many with a right to seek sanctuary in Britain, are still in the Calais camp. The disappearance of any of those children in the coming days would be a moral failure for us all.”
Greens leader pledges unconditional support for independence Bill
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here