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Calais chief wants new migrant border deal with UK | Calais chief wants new migrant border deal with UK |
(35 minutes later) | |
Migrants in Calais camps seeking asylum in the UK should be allowed to lodge their claim in France, the president of the region has told the BBC. | |
Xavier Bertrand said many of the 9,000 migrants wanted to cross the border. | |
He said he wanted a new deal in which they could apply for UK asylum at a "hotspot" in France rather than having to wait to reach British soil. | |
The Home Office said "those in need of protection should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter". | |
Mr Bertrand said under his plan anyone rejected would be deported directly to their country of origin. | |
Calais has become the focal point of France's refugee crisis. | Calais has become the focal point of France's refugee crisis. |
The Jungle camp is expanding and almost every night people there try to hide inside vehicles entering the port and the Channel Tunnel to get to Britain. | The Jungle camp is expanding and almost every night people there try to hide inside vehicles entering the port and the Channel Tunnel to get to Britain. |
Mr Bertrand wants changes to the bilateral agreement between France and the UK called the Treaty of Le Touquet. | Mr Bertrand wants changes to the bilateral agreement between France and the UK called the Treaty of Le Touquet. |
Under the treaty, British immigration officials check passports in Calais before a person arrives on British soil. | |
The Home Office said it believed in the "established principle, enshrined in the Dublin Regulation, that those in need of protection should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter." | |
The government said it was committed to working together to protect the shared border in Calais and insisted there was "an excellent relationship with the French government on these issues". | |
Why don't Calais migrants claim asylum in France? | Why don't Calais migrants claim asylum in France? |
Currently migrants can only claim asylum in the UK when they arrive in the country. They are told to present themselves to the authorities "when you arrive in the UK or as soon as you think it would be unsafe for you to return to your own country". | Currently migrants can only claim asylum in the UK when they arrive in the country. They are told to present themselves to the authorities "when you arrive in the UK or as soon as you think it would be unsafe for you to return to your own country". |
UK politicians have said the migrants in Calais should claim asylum in France if they need protection. | UK politicians have said the migrants in Calais should claim asylum in France if they need protection. |
But many migrants say their life in France is "no good", and they hope for better opportunities in the UK. | But many migrants say their life in France is "no good", and they hope for better opportunities in the UK. |
Under EU rules, known as the Dublin Regulation, asylum seekers should claim asylum in the first safe country they come to. | |
Electronic fingerprinting means that many who make it further into Europe will end up being sent back to Italy or Greece, where many first entered the EU. | Electronic fingerprinting means that many who make it further into Europe will end up being sent back to Italy or Greece, where many first entered the EU. |
Mr Bertrand does not have the power to change the treaty but several of the candidates looking to win next year's French presidential election, including former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, support his idea that it be either reformed or annulled. | |
It is understood Home Secretary Amber Rudd will go to Paris this week to discuss the treaty. | It is understood Home Secretary Amber Rudd will go to Paris this week to discuss the treaty. |
Border controls | Border controls |
Earlier this month, local councils in the UK said they should be involved in assessing the needs of child migrants in Calais before they arrive in the UK. | Earlier this month, local councils in the UK said they should be involved in assessing the needs of child migrants in Calais before they arrive in the UK. |
About 4,000 lone children are claiming asylum in the UK, with their care and resettlement down to local authorities. | About 4,000 lone children are claiming asylum in the UK, with their care and resettlement down to local authorities. |
The Local Government Association said earlier involvement would make it easier for councils to help children settle. | The Local Government Association said earlier involvement would make it easier for councils to help children settle. |