CALAIS, France, Oct. 23 (UPI) — The migrant camp in northeast France known as “The Jungle” is expected to be gone by December, with French officials have saying they’ll start the work of dismantling it this week.
French authorities plan to start moving about 6,900 refugees in the Calais encampment to reception centers in other parts of the country, and will start breaking down the tents and temporary shelters that make up the makeshift village.
The refugees, roughly 1,200 of whom are children, who have been staying in “The Jungle” will be taken to reception centers and given the option of seeking asylum in France or returning to the country they came from.
Residents of the encampment were given letters and flyers explaining the camp will be closing and they have to decide what they want to do. The plan, officials said, is to start processing residents of the camp at 8:00 a.m. local time on Monday on a first come, first serve basis.
“Everybody living in the Calais jungle will have to leave in order to be sheltered in one of the French reception and counseling centers,” the letter said.
While the migrants have been told they will be offered food and a place to stay while they are being processed.
Many of the people staying at the camp are from Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. The option they’ll be presented with in the next 7 to 10 days is to return home, or choose one of two areas in France. If they opt for asylum in France, buses will be available to take to the shelter there while the government processes asylum claims.