Calais Emigration Camp to be Shut Down

Calais, which is a squatter camp that has the nickname "the jungle", has now been promised to be shut down by the French government. This is an area where hundreds of emigrations from all over the world live in makeshift shacks. It is here where they wait to try and cross the Channel into Britain.

The French government has been struggling with these little tent villages around its northern coast ever since the Sangatte Red Cross was shut down back in 2002. It had been shut down, because Britain complained that it was a magnet for emigrants who wanted to reach the UK.

Over the past few months, Calais has been increasing in numbers. Most of the people coming to this area are from Iraq, Eritrea, and Afghanistan. The people at Calais sleep under plastic and cardboard and wait on lorries that are heading to Britain. It is there where they try to stow away on the lorries to make it into the UK.

The French government says that they estimate about 500 to 800 emigrants are camped out in Calais. Many of the people that are here are teenagers. Most of them do speak English, and they have relatives that are living in Britain. Instead of trying to claim asylum in France, they see more prospects, as well as better treatment in the UK.

Eric Besson, the French emigration minister went to Calais today to declare that the law of "the jungle" was over and that the camp will be closed. Just days before he visited, riot police came with bulldozers to clear out big groupings of tents. More than 190 emigrates were arrested.