March Issue
By Colette Yamashita Holcomb
October
The city of Menton announced authorization of a municipal plot next to the Italian border next to the police station on September 18, 2023, to cope with the announced influx of illegal migrants.
The space is intended to be provisional, primarily serving as an extension of the existing police station premises. Unlike the former Red Cross Center, which served as a source of housing, water, and security for migrants, the space will be used to increase the police premises for migrants who are arrested before they are transferred to the Italian authorities. Those refused entry to France may be accommodated in temporary buildings (often referred to as “algécos” in French — referencing the main constructor of such buildings) or tents. The space is expected to receive a maximum of 200 people per day.
There were many concerns that this authorization would mean building a migrant camp — mainly rumors that it would be installed in the Rondelli Stadium. Menton’s mayor, Yves Juhel, stated in a press release that there will be no installation of migrant camps, especially in the stadium, considering it "has no sanitation, is in a flood zone and is subject to strong sea waves.” Additionally, Juhel emphasized his commitment to ensuring Menton’s economy — particularly the hospitality and tourism industries — is unaffected by the new space.
This solution, authorities hope, will make it easier to administratively manage adult migrants who enter France without a residence permit or visa. During their time at this center, they will be under the strict supervision of the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS) and will not be allowed to leave the premises. If their request for entrance into France is determined to be invalid, they will be escorted to the Italian border by authorities.
Mayor Juhel estimated there are approximately 1,500 arrests weekly, making the current accommodations — the small police station — inadequate to process this number of people. This overwhelm of the system sparked the request to install three algécos at the lower border at the Saint-Ludovic border post. In an interview with France 3 Côte d’Azur, Mayor Juhel affirmed that the algécos would not be situated along the lower border, as previously thought, but instead, at the upper one of Saint-Louis, whose proximity to the pre-existing offices allows for easier installation of the interim accommodation. Construction began the last week of September.
Equally, there have been concerns about the processing of minors in this process. According to authorities, the number of unaccompanied minors coming from Italy has doubled since the start of the year in the Alpes-Maritimes department. From January 1 to August 25 this year, nearly 4,000 minors were placed into shelters, primarily from Africa — particularly Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Tunisia, and Sudan. Over the same period in 2022, there were 1,925. In particular, the current practice where minors are required to stay for one to three days at the border police station before being taken into the care of the departmental services has been condemned by migrant aid associations. Nevertheless, Mayor Juhel stated that there are no definitive solutions yet, but the administration is searching for two sites, one in and another outside of Menton. The mayor reiterated that this would not be a hotel, quelling local rumors that worried Mentonnaises in the tourist and hospitality industries.
Despite this, reports from France 3 and the Nice-Matin suggest that a center for unaccompanied minors should be opened by the end of October. They also reported that this building — previously a vacation center for employees of the Comité d'Entreprise for electricity (EDF) and gas industries Caisse Centrale d'Activités Sociales (CCAS) — has been unoccupied for several years. The building was evaluated by the Alpes-Maritimes Department to see if it would be fit to help expand the accommodation system for the sudden influx of unaccompanied minors. However, the department has refused to comment on any official plans, saying it is only evaluating the conditions of the site currently. Yet, there is an agreement with the EDF that details the work needed to bring the site up to standards and ready to accommodate minors in the process of being finalized, which is inferred to confirm the requisition of the site. It estimates that fifty people could be accommodated.
Responses quickly emerged from Menton’s residents to both projects — many negative. An online petition against the installation of a center for minors collected over 225 signatures over one weekend — currently at 642 of the desired 1,000 signatures — while a Facebook group, “Collectif contre un camp de migrants à Menton,” currently has nearly 500 members. Graffiti was also written on the potential future reception center for unaccompanied minors. The words, written in French, translate to “no to migrants, insecurity, and rape.” A peaceful protest at the potential center occurred on October 17 with 150 participants.
Approximately 23,215 migrants were arrested at the border between January and August this year, according to the prefecture. While these developments could mean improved conditions for adult and minor migrants, it does not guarantee efficiency; increasing the capacity for processing is an important step to mitigate the influx of migrants, but unless there are more workers also hired to accommodate these new spaces, the system may still be overloaded. Humanitarian concerns also remain a crucial issue, as there have been no announcements of racial bias or de-escalation training, which several organizations have called for. Furthermore, the negative reactions from Menton residents indicate a larger issue of tension at the border that remains unresolved.