Uptodown-id - France Begins Busing Underage Migrants out of Calais
November 02, 2016 at 08:36PM
French authorities have begun busing underage migrants out of Calais to processing centers around France. The youngsters were temporarily sheltered in shipping containers at the camp known as "the jungle," which was cleared last week. Three buses carried a group of boys out of the camp early Wednesday. Authorities hope to move out all 1,500 unaccompanied child migrants from Calais in 30 buses by the end of the day, according to the regional administration. A former Care4Calais volunteer, Alexandra Simmons, said the group is concerned for the fate of the children who did not want to board the buses. "We have asked them what will happen to children who do not want to get on the buses and we have been given no response so far," said Simmons. "So we are just kind of waiting to see, and the organizations are insuring that we are distributing a hotline for children and that we are collecting all other names and details of other children who do not want to get to the bus. Because we are concerned that like many children already have they will disperse and sleep rough. One child told us that he was planning on sleeping under a bush and living off eating grass which is just, it is really horrific to think. " Representatives of the British Home Office were in Calais to explain to the children what will happen next. Britain has been under pressure to accept more unaccompanied minors. British government officials have said they will accept more unaccompanied migrant minors, without being specific about how many or how quickly will receive them. French authorities transferred more than 5,000 adult migrants out of Calais last week, but the fate of its children had remained unclear. Migrants from the Mideast and Africa had converged on the camp during the past 18 months in hopes of crossing to Britain. The filthy, lawless, overcrowded site near the French port on the English Channel become a symbol of Europe's migrant crisis and a source of shame for France.
Source - France Begins Busing Underage Migrants out of Calais