Minister Jambon anticipates closure of Calais encampment: “Leave nothing to chance”

As a consequence of the expected partial evacuation of ‘the jungle’, the camp for transit migrants to Great Britain in Calais in the North of France, Minister of Security and the Interior Jan Jambon is already taking the necessary new measures. In this context, 250 to 290 members of the integrated police force are daily deployed for this purpose. “We want to prevent tent encampments on our side of the border, with, among others, the coming tourist season in mind,” states Jan Jambon, who has also notified the European Commission of a deviation from the Schengen Agreement. For example, the police will guard our country's border at a number of known strategic smuggling routes until further notice.

“We are not closing our borders,” the Minister clarifies, “but we are seeing a worrying phenomenon. For example, yesterday we found a group of 32 transit migrants on our side of the border, near De Panne. And so there are thousands of others who might come our way.”

Immediate departure

The police have been ordered to arrest the transit migrants and bring them to a processing centre of the Immigration Office (DVZ). From there, they are then brought back across the border, where they are ordered to leave the country immediately. “-and not within the standard five day term,” Jan Jambon notes. Finally, the Minister is also providing extra police capacity to better protect the port of Zeebrugge.

“These anticipatory measures are necessary with a view to maintaining order and will stay in place for as long as necessary. We cannot leave anything to chance, otherwise our coast and our ports will be exposed to immediate and unavoidable threat of damage,” Minister Jambon concludes.