Let Calais migrants seek United Kingdom asylum in France – region chief

Migrants in Calais camps seeking asylum in the United Kingdom should be allowed to lodge their claim in France, the president of the region has told the BBC.

The President of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region said before the referendum that “if Britain leaves Europe, right away the border will leave Calais and go to Dover”.

The Calais chief added that under his plan, the migrants rejected by the United Kingdom authorities would be deported to their countries of origin.

Under the current Treaty of Le Touquet, British immigration officials check passports with French officials checking passports in Dover.

“I’m demanding the opening of a centre in Britain to deal with asylum seekers in Britain so that Britain can do the work that concerns them”, Nicolas Sarkozy told a political rally in Touquet in northern France. In England or in France?

Migrants aiming to reach Britain have over the years gathered in camps called the “jungle” in the French port of Calais.

“If the British Government don’t want to open this discussion, we will tell you the Touquet Agreement is over”.

France should tear up the deal which imposes British border checks on migrants in Calais unless radical changes are made, a senior politician has warned.

Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Francois Hollande in July affirmed their shared commitment to keeping border controls in Calais.

Sarkozy is seeking re-election in next year’s presidential race.

Mr Betrand suggested that to prevent migrants from risking their lives crossing to the United Kingdom, “hotspots” should be established in Calais so they can apply for United Kingdom asylum on French soil.

About 4,000 lone children are claiming asylum in the United Kingdom, with their care and resettlement down to local authorities. Rudd is due to discuss security issues with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve during the trip, her first overseas engagement.

“And we must work together to protect our truckers, whose lives are being put at risk in Calais”.

The Home Office said it believed in the “established principle, enshrined in the Dublin Regulation, that those in need of protection should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter”.

In a speech in February, Cameron said: “Clearly the point that is being made here is that should we leave the European Union then some of these other arrangements that we may have with other countries, for example the juxtaposed controls we have with France, could be called into question”.

Terror attacks in Paris and Nice helped to convince Sarkozy – who has a hard-line stance on immigration – to make a comeback ahead of next year’s election.