French police evacuate two illegal migrants camps in Paris

PARIS - French police Monday cleared out two illegal migrants camps in Paris, as part of the government plan to handle migrants influx, local authorities said.

In a statement, the police department of ile-de-France region said authorities were evacuating on Monday two illegal migrants roadside sites at the Porte des Poissonniers, in Paris's 18th district and another camp near Canal Saint Martin.

"The sheltered people will be subject to a complete and thorough examination of their administrative situation by the state's services ...to determine the accommodation structures adapted to their situation", it added.

Last week, a similar operation led to the evacuation of about 1,000 migrants from the Millenaire camp northeast of Paris, for general welfare and security reasons, according to French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb.

"Police services will be fully committed to preventing such camps being built again," Collomb said recently.

Thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East have fled war and poverty in their native countries, leading to an unprecedented migrants crisis in Europe.

In France, they had ended up in the northern port of Calais where the French end of the Channel Tunnel is located. They had attempted to board lorries and trains heading to Britain to seek a better life before "the Jungle " of Calais was cleared by police in late 2016.

The government said it wants to be both firm and fair on immigration. With the aim, it proposed a bill that will double to 90 days the time in which illegal migrants can be detained and shorten deadlines to apply for asylum to six months.

It also wants to make illegal crossing of borders an offence punishable by one year in jail and fines and to quickly sent home illegal economic migrants.

A new migration law was approved by French National Assembly in April. The lower house of parliament will have last word on the bill after debates in the Senate scheduled this month.