Thousands of people have no idea where they will end up.
Armed police began Monday to clear out residents from the sprawling refugee camp in Calais, France, that had become a temporary home for as many as 10,000 refugees and migrants. Although living conditions could be squalid in the camp dubbed the “Jungle,” people had organized schools, bars, restaurants and shops.
The camp’s residents, mainly from Africa and Asia, were biding their time in Calais as they looked for ways to cross the Channel into the United Kingdom.
But French authorities say they decided last month to shut down the entire camp because conditions had become too dreadful and because the ongoing illegal attempts to reach the U.K. were too dangerous. Authorities dismantled half of the Jungle in February, yet its population had swelled in the months since. The remainder of the camp is expected to be demolished later this week.
Now, thousands of people living at the site will be bused across France to stay in temporary, government-run “welcome centers” while they apply for asylum. Some 1,918 adults were transferred to 80 different welcome centers on Monday, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a news conference.