Calais, France (CNN) French authorities began clearing the "Jungle" refugee camp on Monday, busing out more than 2,000 people by the afternoon as the country readies to raze the patch of wasteland where thousands have made temporary homes.

An old hangar in the port city of Calais was converted into a processing center for between 6,000 and 10,000 migrants. Authorities offered them two choices -- stay in France or go back to their country of origin.

Latest developments

• More than 2,300 migrants left the Jungle on dozens of buses Monday, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said

• There are still 5,000 to 6,000 people living in the camp, Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart told CNN affiliate BFMTV on Monday evening

• Authorities will begin dismantling the camp on Tuesday, officials said

• Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable youth could be settled in Britain

• Processing is expected to take up to a week

As the time to dismantle neared, groups of people threw stones at authorities and police responded with tear gas.

There were small fires on the camp's outskirts, and a group tried to tip a portable toilet into one of them

A road to Britain

Nicknamed "the Jungle," the camp is a grim mosaic of squalid tents, makeshift shelters and tumbledown caravans at the side of a motorway that has become the wretched symbol of Europe's refugee crisis.

Migrants have flocked to Europe by the millions, many from war-torn Syria and African nations. The majority at the camp are from Afghanistan, Eritrea and Sudan.

Some migrants have refused to leave the camp, which sits at one end of the Eurotunnel -- a direct undersea route to Britain that many have risked their lives trying to traverse by hiding in lorries. Some have even walked the 30 miles.

JUST WATCHED Inside "The Jungle" migrant camp Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Inside "The Jungle" migrant camp 01:22

In 2015, the Eurotunnel operator intercepted 37,000 migrants attempting to travel to the UK illegally.

Britain is a preferred destination for many migrants because its economy is doing better than most of its European counterparts, unemployment rates are low and a lot of migrants have at least a basic command of English.

It's a very sad place, a very boring place and we've been living like animals. Wahid, from Afganistan

Wahid, a 20-year-old from Jalabad in Afghanistan, tried everything to get to Britain, passing through Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy before reaching France. He has lived in the Jungle for eight months.

"I hoped to go to England, but I've lost my chance. For three months I tried hiding in trucks in the parking (lots), but every time they found me by scanners. They said 'Sorry, no chance, go back to the Jungle," he told CNN.

Migrants on Monday registered to claim asylum in France and be settled in different regions.

"I'm a little bit sad that we lose the chance to go to the UK, but I'm happy that the Jungle is to close -- it's a very sad place, a very boring place and we've been living like animals."

Alfodil, a 23-year-old from Sudan, has been living in the Jungle for two months after almost two years stuck in Libya, from where he took the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean "on a small ship, so dangerous" to reach Europe.

"I want to go to the UK if possible, because I like English. I learned English at school, and I wanted to go to high school or college in Edinburgh or London," he said.

Several migrants appear to have been given wristbands that determine where they will be taken. But many with these bands, including Alfodil, did not seem to know where they were going.

'Change is coming'

At the processing center -- in the middle of an industrial zone -- migrants are being asked to join one of four lines: lone migrants, families, those considered "at risk" (elderly, ill or disabled people, and pregnant women) and unaccompanied minors.

An Eritrean migrant rides by a processing center in Calais as authorities prepare to raze the infamous "Jungle" refugee camp.

Authorities are trying to spread the migrants out across the whole country. When migrants register at the processing center, they can choose between two regions presented to them for resettlement. When quotas for those regions are reached, authorities open up other areas and accept a number of migrants for places there. Buses headed to at least seven different regions on Monday.

Their instructions were laid out in a leaflet distributed by volunteers on Sunday evening.

"Everybody living in the Calais jungle will have to leave in order to be sheltered in one of the French reception and counseling centers," the letter reads.

"You will receive help and the necessary information on the procedures that you will need to follow if you have applied or wish to apply for asylum," it adds.

Late Sunday night, riot police were out in force , and some 1,250 police were called in to prevent crowd control problems on Monday. Clashes between migrants and police erupted Saturday night at the camp.

Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' French authorities stand by as migrant minors board a bus to relocation centers on October 28. Authorities began work on Monday to clear the infamous migrant camp known as the Calais "Jungle" in northern France. Hide Caption 1 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A young migrant stands outside the Calais camp school house on October 28. Minors who were not moved to safe houses outside of the Jungle earlier in the week were let back into the camp to shelter in the makeshift school for the night.

Hide Caption 2 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A trailer burns in the Calais "Jungle" early on Friday, October 28. Hide Caption 3 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Riot police guard the main entrance to the Jungle on Thursday, October 27. Authorities have declared the camp clear, but aid workers say that up to 100 unaccompanied minors remained with nowhere to sleep. Hide Caption 4 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A migrant man sits inside a shack that remains in the otherwise demolished Jungle camp on October 27. French authorities said Wednesday that almost 5,600 migrants had been bused to relocation centers around France. Hide Caption 5 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Heavy machinery is used to remove debris from the camp on October 27. Hide Caption 6 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' An Eritrean migrant waits to be relocated out of the camp on October 27. French authorities have given thousands of people who were living in the infamous migrant camp two options: seek asylum in France or return to your country of origin. Hide Caption 7 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A migrant shaves while cleaning crews continue demolition of the Jungle on October 27 Hide Caption 8 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A group of migrants who slept outside an aid station near the Jungle wait to be assigned relocation to processing centers across France on October 27. Hide Caption 9 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Two migrants rest near the Jungle site on October 27. Long lines for processing have been cited as the reason some didn't manage to register earlier in the week. Hide Caption 10 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Smoke rises from multiple fires blazing in the camp on Wednesday, October 26, as French authorities work to demolish the settlement and evacuate its residents to reception centers around France. Hide Caption 11 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A French fireman attempts to extinguish a blaze in the Calais Jungle on October 26. Hide Caption 12 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Remaining migrants watch fires burn across the Jungle on October 26. Migrants set fire to structures along the camp's main street. Hide Caption 13 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' The remains of makeshift structures smolder from fires that broke out overnight in parts of the camp on October 26. Hide Caption 14 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A man looks skyward as he stands beside the burned remnants of his tent in the Jungle on October 26. Hide Caption 15 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A migrant walks past a burning shack that was set on fire, as a demolition crew began tearing structures down on Tuesday, October 25. Hide Caption 16 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Women and children protest their case to the UK government from the Jungle, as authorities continue the destruction of the camp on October 26. Hide Caption 17 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' French authorities stand guard after migrants set fire to a shelter during the dismantling of the Calais "Jungle" camp on October 25. Hide Caption 18 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Workers begin demolishing shelters in the camp on October 25. Hide Caption 19 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A volunteer helps a man carry his luggage away from the camp on October 25. Hide Caption 20 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' French demolition teams work to dismantle the camp on October 25. Hide Caption 21 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A police officer guards demolition crews as they work to dismantle the site on October 25. Hide Caption 22 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A man passes a camp structure on fire on October 25. Hide Caption 23 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A firefighter extinguishes a fire set to migrants' tents during the mass evacuation. Hide Caption 24 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Women arrive at a meeting point determined by authorities managing the evacuation of the camp. Hide Caption 25 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants' belongings are trucked out of the "Jungle" on October 25. Hide Caption 26 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Sudanese migrants wait in line to board buses that will take them to relocation centers across France. Hide Caption 27 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' People walk through the camp on October 25. Hide Caption 28 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A migrant sets fire to a portable toilet inside the camp on Monday, October 24. Hide Caption 29 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Police try to maintain order as migrants waiting to be processed wait in crowded lines on October 24. Hide Caption 30 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants leave their makeshift homes on October 24. Hide Caption 31 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants register with French authorities on October 24 before boarding buses that will transport them to shelters across France. Hide Caption 32 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants board buses that will transport them to shelters around France on October 24. Those applying for asylum will be offered temporary accommodation in a shelter while their claim is processed. Hide Caption 33 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Residents of the camp hug before departing the "Jungle" on October 24. Hide Caption 34 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Men, women and children leave the camp during the first day of the planned eviction on October 24. Hide Caption 35 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Riot police stand off with some of the camp's residents the night before the eviction was set to take place. Hide Caption 36 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' French police fire tear gas after refugees reportedly threw rocks at police vans near the camp on Saturday, October 22. Hide Caption 37 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A view of the migrant camp in Calais on Wednesday, October 12. Hide Caption 38 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Refugees in Calais claimed their rights to pass to Great Britain but were pushed back by tear gas and flash grenades on Saturday, October 1. Hide Caption 39 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants walk past security fencing on Tuesday, September 6. Hide Caption 40 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' French business owners and local residents block the main road into the Port of Calais as they protest "The Jungle" on Monday, September 5. Hide Caption 41 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' This aerial view taken Tuesday, August 16, shows the tents and shipping containers housing migrants in "The Jungle." Hide Caption 42 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A French riot policeman stands near graffiti during the dismantling of the southern part of "The Jungle" migrant camp on Thursday, March 10. The graffiti reads "London calling," a reference to how the camp has become notorious for migrants and refugees trying to enter the UK illegally. Hide Caption 43 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A man sews the lips of an Iranian migrant at the camp on Thursday, March 3. Journalists said at least nine Iranians stitched their mouths shut and went on a hunger strike to protest the camp's dismantling. Hide Caption 44 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants stand next to a burning shack in the camp on Tuesday, March 1. Hide Caption 45 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A migrant makes a phone call near "The Jungle" on March 1. Hide Caption 46 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A woman fights with a police officer as she is removed from the top of a hut on March 1. Police and demolition teams were starting to dismantle makeshift shelters and relocating people to accommodations nearby. Hide Caption 47 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants demonstrate on Monday, February 29. Hide Caption 48 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Riot police spray water on migrants to disperse them during the dismantling of half of "The Jungle" on February 29. Hide Caption 49 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A migrant flies a kite on Friday, February 19. Hide Caption 50 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants walk past housing containers in "The Jungle" on Tuesday, February 16. Hide Caption 51 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Two young boys walk in the mud inside "The Jungle" in December 2015. Hide Caption 52 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A man is seen among tents in "The Jungle" in October 2015. Hide Caption 53 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' French police oversee the removal of tents in September 2015. Hide Caption 54 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Afghan and Pakistani migrants eat lunch in the migrant camp in August 2015. Hide Caption 55 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants walk along the railway track leading to the Eurotunnel in Calais in August 2015. Migrants attempt to enter the UK illegally by stowing away on trucks, ferries, cars or trains. Hide Caption 56 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A migrant hides on the train tracks in the direction of the Eurotunnel terminal in August 2015. Hide Caption 57 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' The home of Sami, a refugee living in the "The Jungle," is pictured in August 2015. Sami, who has lived in the camp for two months, said: "We made this house from blankets and wood and then covered it in plastic to keep the rain out. It rains often in France. I think it will rain often when I am in England, too." Hide Caption 58 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Several migrants successfully cross the Eurotunnel terminal in July 2015 as they try to reach a shuttle to the UK. Hide Caption 59 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Displaced from "The Jungle" camp, Afghan migrants congregate in Calais' harbor in September 2009. Hide Caption 60 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' A digger lifts a migrant's makeshift tent during a destruction operation in September 2009. Hide Caption 61 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' An aerial view of the camp in September 2009. Hide Caption 62 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants from Afghanistan look at a ferry boat in Calais in September 2009. Hide Caption 63 of 64 Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle' Migrants jump onto the back of a UK-bound truck in March 2006. Hide Caption 64 of 64

Migrants will 'not be forced'

Since the early hours of Monday, thousands of migrants made their way in groups to the center, packing whatever they had left in wheeled suitcases, backpacks and blue-and-white striped laundry bags, ready to head to their new lives. One even carried a cricket bat and plastic wickets as he joined the long queue.

More than half an hour before the evacuation of the #Jungle is due to begin, hundreds and hundreds of refugees and migrants who had made it their home are on the move. #jungledecalais A photo posted by Bryony Jones (@bryonysjones) on Oct 23, 2016 at 10:35pm PDT

Unaccompanied minors are the ones with the best chance of reaching Britain. They are being interviewed by French and British authorities to determine if they should be rehomed in the UK, under an agreement offering refuge to children and vulnerable young people. They are being kept in a temporary shelter at the camp until a decision is made in their case.

French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet says migrants will not be forced to get on board buses departing Calais: "This will be done on a voluntary basis and no coercive measures will be taken towards the migrants."

Cleaners are expected to begin work at the site on Tuesday, expanding their "cleaning zone" as the evacuation proceeds.

Awad, a 31-year-old from Sudan told CNN: "I tried to get to the UK because I love the United Kingdom," as he queued in the darkness before sunrise.

But he is happy to stay in France if he can -- in the south if possible, where it's warm -- and he is glad to leave the Jungle to "see real life."

But he is still nervous.

"I don't know what will happen, but I hope it will be good."