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France seals off migrants shelter France closes migrants' shelter
(about 2 hours later)
Police in the French port of Calais have sealed off a warehouse which has been occupied by about 100 illegal immigrants since Saturday. French police have closed down a makeshift shelter for illegal migrants in Calais a day after it was opened.
Riot police have been letting the migrants out but not back in. The disused warehouse in the northern port was being used by about 100 migrants, mostly from Afghanistan.
Immigration Minister Eric Besson said he was looking at ways to end the "unacceptable" occupation. The building was rented by an activist group, which turned it into a camp in defiance of a ban on giving shelter to illegal immigrants in the town.
Calais attracts migrants seeking to cross into the UK. Last September, France closed down a makeshift camp in the area known as "the jungle". Calais attracts migrants aiming to get into the UK. In September, a makeshift camp known as "the jungle" was closed.
The move was criticised by human rights groups, who argued that many migrants should be treated like refugees.
'Manipulative zealots''Manipulative zealots'
Campaign groups had rented the building as a shelter for the migrants - mainly from Afghanistan and Iraq. A local campaign group, No Border, took over the warehouse not far from the port on Saturday with the aim of turning it into a permanent shelter for migrants.
Police have set up a security cordon around the building.
"The police are allowing the migrants to leave but not to enter," said activist Rodolphe Nettier.
The authorities say camps like 'the jungle' encourage human traffickingThe authorities say camps like 'the jungle' encourage human trafficking
Mr Besson said France would not let a "new jungle" spring up in northern France. But on Sunday morning, police put up a security cordon around the building, allowing those inside to leave in search of food but not to return.
It would "serve as a rear base for human trafficking rings near the port of Calais". Eventually, there were only a few migrants and activists remaining in the warehouse when police moved in during the afternoon.
Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart said she was ready to sign an eviction order and wanted the situation resolved in the "next 24 to 48 hours so that we don't allow zealots to manipulate us and risk triggering an extreme response". "They forced their way in. There are no more migrants inside," Helene, an activist from No Border, told the AFP news agency.
French officials were criticised by human rights groups after closing the "jungle". Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart had said she was ready to sign an eviction order to quickly get the migrants out and not "allow zealots to manipulate us and risk triggering an extreme response".
They said it had become a haven for people-smuggling gangs and a no-go zone for local residents. French Immigration Minister Eric Besson made it clear he would not allow the re-establishment of a "new jungle" in or around Calais, because it might "serve as a rear base for human trafficking rings".
Makeshift, insanitary camps sprang up after French officials closed the Red Cross centre at Sangatte in November 2002. But the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says the question of how to deal with migrants' humanitarian needs, especially during winter, has still not been resolved.
Makeshift, insanitary camps such as "the jungle" sprang up after French officials closed the Red Cross centre at Sangatte in 2002.