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Thousands Evicted from Paris Migrant Camp
Paris authorities evicted nearly 2,800 migrants Friday, as Europe contends with an upsurge in new arrivals crossing the Mediterranean.
Migrants and refugees rest on the ground during the evacuation of a makeshift camp at Porte de la Chapelle, Paris on July 7, 2017, one of several camps sprouting up around the French capital.
French authorities evacuated more than 2,000 migrants settled in the camp in the north of Paris, just a few days before the presentation of a "migrant plan" by the government, as Europe faces an upsurge in new arrivals. A center that opened last year in northern Paris to help asylum seekers has provided temporary shelter for 12,000 people, but is not large enough to care for everyone.
A migrant rides his bike past French police.
About 350 police and 100 other officials and aid workers took part in Friday's operation. Police said the migrants will be given "proposals for orientation" to other sites scattered around France, where they can try to seek legal paths to residency. Some may eventually be deported.
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Migrants and refugees sit as they gather in the streets during the evacuation.
In heavy summer heat, groups of primarily African men and a few families lined up to board buses with a mixture of relief and apprehension. According to the latest reports, 2771 migrants were evacuated.
The migrants were taken to temporary shelters in the Paris region, where they will be given medical checkups and guidance. City Hall says it is the 34th such operation in the past two years.
A man carries his belongings on his head.
City authorities estimate that dozens of people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East pour in daily to Paris. Many continue on to the port of Calais to try to cross to Britain, but many stay in Paris in hopes of finding unofficial work or to seek asylum.
Arrivals have grown this summer around Europe, notably as more people are taking the risky sea journey from Libya. More than 2,000 have died in the journey.
French police barricade thousands of migrants.
Paris now joins a list of European capitals, including Belgrade, Serbia and Budapest, Hungary where migrants from countries ranging from Sudan to Syria and Eritrea to Afghanistan have become a familiar sight on the streets.
A woman walks with her baby as she gathers with other migrants and refugees.
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Two Afghani migrants search for valuables among the remains of a camp. Tents, sleeping bags and rudimentary cardboard structures housing migrants have sprung up on sidewalks and boulevards in the area, angering some residents even as others come to offer food and blankets.
Paris property services clean the streets with a bulldozer after the evacuation.
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A woman gathers with fellow migrants and refugees in the streets.
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Migrants and refugees carry their belongings.