Already more than 5,000 arrivals in France of migrants from Ukraine since the start of the Russian attack on February 25.
A number
"rapidly increasing"
, says Prime Minister Jean Castex.
They were
"more than 500"
, supervised by associations for the single day of Monday, arrived by bus, from Berlin in particular, but also by train or by plane.
There are also all those who arrive by their own means in other cities, helped by their families settled in France.
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Are they all Ukrainians?
In this expanding flow, around 30% are migrants who were in Ukraine when the conflict broke out, according to our information.
In short: almost one in three refugees is not Ukrainian.
The latest arrivals include more than 7.5% Algerians, 3.5% Ivorians, 3.5% Moroccans, 2.5% Indians, 2.5% Kyrgyz, 2% Congolese, 1 5% Cameroonians, 1% Pakistanis, but also Nigeriens, Chinese, Guineans, Angolans.
Many French-speakers among them plan to stay in France, where they have ties.
A difficult assessment
Do we find among these people migrants that Poland was trying to push back last November, at the Belarusian border, with the support of Paris?
One thing is certain:
“Most of the people who were turned back at the time have been able to pass since then and the war has reshuffled the cards”
, confides a senior official in Beauvau.
While 2 million people have already left Ukraine since the Russian offensive, France is hard pressed to assess precisely how many of these uprooted people will arrive in France.
Regarding the first 5,000 people identified, Jean Castex ensures that
“a certain number of them are actually in transit”
.
Discussions are underway with Madrid to let those who want to join theirs in Spain, where there is a large Ukrainian community (112,000 people compared to 18,000 in France before the conflict).
The SNCF plans to charter trains to facilitate the operation.
An explosion of migratory flows
Italy, for its part, has no less than 236,000 Ukrainians on its soil.
But these neighboring states are confronted at the same time with an explosion in migratory flows from the South: 80,000 arrivals since January by the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands, i.e. +77% compared to 2021. Negotiations on the distribution of migrants between EU countries will be harsh.
See also
More than 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, according to the UN
Paris, for its part, must succeed in the transfer of many migrants housed in the emergency at the hotel to the residences of the host families who have reported themselves on the dedicated internet platforms.
According to Jean Castex, thanks to the mobilization of the French, 10,798 accommodation places have already been offered: 5,978 by individuals, 3,683 by communities and 1,137 by major accommodation operators.
A sufficient number?
The filing of the first files for the granting of the new temporary protection intended for Ukrainian refugees (right to work, health cover and 426 euros/month) began on Tuesday.
Non-Ukrainians who have arrived in the stream will not be able to claim it, unless they can prove a residence permit in Ukraine.
