Police clear out last migrant camp in Paris

French police evacuated more than 400 people from the remaining migrant camp in the capital on Tuesday morning following a government promise to evacuate all such camps from the north-east of the city.

The Porte de la Villette in northeastern Paris has been the site of several camps of migrants and asylum seekers in recent years, including a previous camp seen here in January 2019. AFP/Thomas Samson

The operation to clear out the camp along a canal by the Porte de la Villette in the north-east of Paris began at 6am and lasted until 8am.

State officials said 427 people including four women were taken from the camp of tents and makeshift shacks and brought to reception centres where they would receive temporary housing.

“The evacuation at the Porte de la Villette puts an end to camps that posed a sanitary risk for the area and a security risks for both occupants and residents,” Paris police said on Twitter.

#Paris19 | Fin de l'opération d'évacuation à la porte de la #Villette des campements qui mettaient en péril la salubrité des lieux et la sécurité des personnes, tant des occupants que des riverains. pic.twitter.com/OCNf4vBdus

  Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) February 4, 2020

The evacuation came a week after police dismantled a camp of some 1,400 migrants and asylum seekers at the nearby Porte d’Aubervilliers.

“There are no more camps,” officials told AFP agency. “The police will monitor this site to ensure the camps are not rebuilt, as they do at Porte d’Aubervilliers and Porte de la Chapelle,” the site of another camp evacuated in November.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner pledged in November to evacuate all migrant camps in northeastern Paris.