The number of shipwrecked migrants rescued off the coast of Calais who were taken in by the state tripled in 2021, a record year for attempted illegal crossings of the Channel, said Monday (January 10) the French Immigration Office and integration (Ofii).
"
The number of people shipwrecked off Calais and sheltered was 1,002 in 2021
", against 341 in 2020, an increase of 194%, OFII told AFP.
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At the end of November, 27 migrants who tried to reach the English coast aboard a makeshift boat were killed in the deadliest shipwreck on this seaway, sparking a wave of emotion as well as a resurgence of tensions between London and Paris on the migration file.
Only two candidates for exile were survivors during this tragedy and are part of the thousand migrants taken care of last year.
This support represents "
a financial effort which does not cease increasing
", declared the general director of Ofii, Didier Leschi.
More than 9,000 accommodation places offered in 2021
In addition, the number of people living in makeshift camps on the north coast in the hope of crossing over to Great Britain and who have been "
sheltered and referred in the national reception system has been 31,103
"last year, up 239% compared to 2020 (9172), we learned from the same source.
Among these exiles, the proportion of people in family or "
vulnerable
" has doubled, from 1158 to 2273. In total, underlines the Ofii, 9,779 accommodation places were offered in 2021, mainly in Hauts-de-France. (98%) and 6,950 people were accommodated.
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The associations that come to the aid of migrants in the region, for their part, regularly accuse the authorities of carrying out a dissuasive policy on the coast: several activists observed a hunger strike between October and mid-November 2020, to demand a moratorium on the coast. the almost daily dismantling of camps and denouncing the "
inhuman
" treatment reserved for exiles.
"
Not to take into account the efforts of the State to take charge of the complex situation in Calais is to participate in the hysterization of debates on immigration
", rejected Didier Leschi, who has been leading a mission since last October. mediation in Calais on behalf of the government.
