"In accordance with declarations of French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, the Interior Ministry has instructed the prefect of Paris, the prefect of Ile-de-France region and the prefect of police to evacuate [on Wednesday] morning main Parisian migrant camp… in Paris' nineteenth district," the statement said.
The evacuated migrants will be temporarily accommodated in 20 migrant centers in Paris and Ile-de-France region and then sent to reception and examination centers, where their status should be determined.
Over the past several months, migrants have been setting up camps along the city's canals, a phenomenon which has raised public concerns over safety and public hygiene. Last Wednesday, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb ordered immediate evacuation of migrant camps in Paris and the Parisian Ile-de-France region.
According to the French Interior Ministry, over 30 operations on evacuation of migrant camps have been carried out in the French capital since 2015, during which over 28,000 people have been removed. Paris has been the most popular destination among migrants in France, receiving 40 percent of the country's asylum claims. Meanwhile, the number of migrants wishing to settle in Paris has far surpassed the reception capabilities of the city, which only has 2 percent of the country’s reception facilities at its disposal.
