How many migrants are in Calais?

Estimates differ widely. From 3,000 to 5,000 migrants are currently housed in the camp. That is a fraction of the number of immigrants and asylum seekers arriving in Britain, where last year net migration reached 318,000. It is also small compared with the number of migrants that other, poorer countries have absorbed.

Where do the migrants come from?

The migrants in Calais come from countries suffering conflict and other hardships in the Middle East and Africa, part of a worldwide refugee crisis. Some of the largest groups include people from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia.

How do migrants get to Calais?

Most migrants have stories that involve many months of perilous travel across hazardous seas and encounters with human traffickers. Those coming from East Africa often come via Sudan and Libya to Italy before making their way across Europe on foot and by train. Those coming from Afghanistan and the Middle East often travel through Turkey. They cross the Mediterranean by boat to Greece and then travel across the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

What happens to migrants who get through?

Some migrants who make it to Britain try to remain undetected and find work in the informal economy. It can be easier if they have friends or family already in Britain, which, unlike France, has no national identity cards.