Paris, November 4 (RHC)-- Police in France have begun evacuating refugees from a makeshift camp in northeastern Paris that had recently become a shelter for many of the asylum seekers evacuated from a bigger camp in the port city of Calais.
At least 600 police officers started the evacuation early Friday, escorting the refugees to dozens of buses that will take them to holding centers in and around the French capital. The refugees will remain in the centers until their requests for asylum are processed.
The Paris camp, made of tents across several streets, was home to around 3,000 refugees, almost half of whom had arrived just a week ago when police completely demolished the camp in Calais -- which was derogatorily referred to as "The Jungle" -- late last month.
Authorities said over 6,000 people were evacuated from the camp in Calais to lodgings in towns and villages across the country, where their eligibility for asylum will be assessed.
The refugees, who lived in appalling conditions in tents and temporary shelters in Calais, were unwilling to leave the camp because it was close the Channel Tunnel, which they could use to reach the United Kingdom.