Release decisions by the courts, running away, disorganization of the administration: this massive influx of migrants revealed the government’s inability to manage the crisis. The point in figures on the situation.
Where have the migrants gone fromocean viking ? They were 234 to land on November 11 in the port of Toulon, after Italy refused to open its ports to them. Almost all of them have been released in recent days, for various reasons. 44 unaccompanied minors, because the law prohibits them from being kept in a detention centre. 66 others, because they have received authorization to enter the territory to seek asylum. Of the 123 who had been refused entry to the territory, a hundred were nevertheless left free to leave the waiting area by court order. In the waiting area of the Giens peninsula where they had been transferred, there are now less than ten left.
How many of these migrants are now in the wild? How many will be able to stay in France? How many will be distributed in different European countries? We take stock in a few figures of the migration fiasco.
Of the 44 minors taken care of, 26 fled
The 44 unaccompanied minors had been taken out of the Giens waiting area to be cared for by the Var department. In total, 26 of them have run away and are now off the radar of the administration or the police. According to the president of the Var departmental council, Jean-Louis Masson, who recently confided in the Figaro, most would be Eritreans seeking to reach other countries illegally. But we do not know if some have already crossed the border or if they are all still in France. According to an employee of the Hôtel des Trois Mûriers in Toulon, where they were staying, the remaining 18 unaccompanied minors were still there on Sunday evening.
Read alsoOcean Viking: Totally overwhelmed, justice freed most migrants
Of the 189 others, 66 could receive asylum in France…
In addition to the 44 unaccompanied minors automatically authorized to enter France, the 189 migrants held in the Giens waiting area were not considered to be on our territory. OFPRA considered that only 66 were justified in seeking asylum: these were authorized to leave the waiting area and were taken to reception centers for asylum seekers (CADA). These 66 migrants are the only ones who can hope to receive asylum in France. Negotiations are underway with the 11 European countries that have volunteered to host them, to determine how many of them will actually stay in France.
… and the other 123 to be deported, or distributed to other countries in Europe
The 123 others saw their request to enter the territory rejected. But on Friday, after a legal imbroglio, justice ended up releasing a hundred of them. These people, who were however considered by the OFPRA as unjustified to request asylum, now have an eight-day regularization visa… to request asylum! According to a source familiar with the matter at the Ministry of the Interior, they did not disperse into the wild, but were taken to dedicated accommodation centers to file their application. Even though, according to a high-ranking source at the OFII, the French Office for Integration and Immigration, these people have no chance of receiving asylum in France and will inevitably be rejected, since it is OFPRA, which has already ruled on their case, which will examine their request. OQTFs should therefore be pronounced against them. But one can legitimately doubt the effectiveness of such measures, in view of their low rate of execution.
Read alsoOcean Viking: 26 of the 44 minor migrants taken care of have run away
On the other hand, it is not impossible that they will be welcomed in the eleven other European countries which have volunteered: eleven countries agree to welcome them: Germany, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal and Romania. Still, they now have the option of staying in the reception center for several months, while their application is being processed. The other migrants remaining in the waiting area (less than a dozen) should eventually be expelled.