100 held in Calais immigrant crackdown

Police rounded up more than 100 refugees in Calais after they gathered for a free meal, local officials said.

The 109 people, mainly from Iraq and Afghanistan, were detained last night and immediately sent to centres outside the Calais region, according to the prefecture.

A similar operation was carried out on June 16 when 60 illegal immigrants were detained, it said.

The arrests were part of tough measures by Britain and France to stop the flow of illegal immigrants to Britain.

Police carried out a “co-ordinated action” aimed at detaining refugees in the area, the prefecture said.

“After having a meal offered by the administrative services, they (refugees) were immediately re-oriented to centres” in the Pas de Calais region and elsewhere, a statement said.

A Red Cross centre in the nearby town of Sangatte that took in thousands of refugees was closed in December 2002 as part of a plan to dissuade refugees from gathering in the region.

Refugees have been drawn here with hopes of smuggling themselves into Britain through the Channel tunnel.

Besides shutting the Sangatte centre, France and Britain are working together to track down illegal-immigrant networks that help refugees make the journey from their homeland to Europe. France and Britain also set up joint controls in Calais and Dover.