Calais 'Jungle' migrant camp: What you need to know
Updated 1047 GMT (1847 HKT) October 22, 2016
(CNN)Life for thousands of migrants at the sprawling "Jungle" migrant camp is set to be thrown into disarray -- again -- as French authorities renew efforts to dismantle the site on Monday.
The camp in Northern France has long been used as a gateway for migrants attempting reach the United Kingdom.
This time, French authorities say it will no longer be an option.
Here's how we got here.
The 'Jungle'
Known as the "Jungle" the camp is a sprawling migrant settlement situated in the port town of Calais.
The controversial camp serves as base for migrants hoping to cross into England through the 50 kilometer (31 miles) undersea Channel Tunnel that connects the two countries.
A strong French police presence, reinforced by UK border officers and heavily manned wired fences, attempt to thwart migrants' journeys to Dover. Clashes with local authorities are a regular occurrence.
In September, the British government announced construction on a four meter (13 foot) high wall along the camp's approach. The £17 million ($23 million) deal was struck between the UK and France to stop the flow of illegal immigration.
A risky passage
Many migrants risk their lives either by stowing away on a truck or a Channel Tunnel train.
In 2015, Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel intercepted 37,000 migrants attempting to travel to the UK illegally.
Thirty-one people died while trying to reach British soil last year, many of them teenagers and young adults, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Harrowing reports of fatal journeys also made headlines, including the death of an African teenager who was struck by an oncoming train.
So far this year, 15 migrants attempting a similar journey have died.
The population is constantly changing
It is hard to pinpoint exactly how many people live there as the camp does not qualify for refugee camp status under international law.
As a result, the "Jungle" exists in a legal gray area, lacking the infrastructure and authority to provide an accurate census.
Migrants are constantly coming and going, making it hard for charities and local authorities on the ground to provide up-to-date figures.
However, earlier this week the French government said there were between 5,684 and 6,486 migrants living in the camp. Aid organizations on the ground say the population is closer to 10,000.
War, famine, and violence drive migrants to Calais
The majority of the migrants living in the "Jungle" come from Afghanistan, Eritrea and Sudan.
Migrants from war torn countries such as Iraq and Syria are also there, along with Somalians and other Africans seeking political asylum, as well as displaced Kurds and Palestinians.
Men make up the majority of Calais' inhabitants. Women only make up about 10% to 15% of the total population, and often live in separate areas.
A center has been created by French authorities to facilitate the migrant and refugees departure on Monday.
There will be four separate lines at the center to separate different groups: adults, minors, families and vulnerable people (pregnant women, the sick and the disabled).
Unaccompanied children are of serious concern
A day in 'The Jungle' migrant camp 02:18
There are 1,291 isolated minors currently in the camp, according to French aid organization Terre D'Asile. Some have fallen victim to human traffickers, with many exposed to sexual abuse. Malnutrition and disease are commonplace.
The UK has started to accept a small number of "qualified" children under EU and UK law. French authorities said Friday that special provisions are to be made for unaccompanied minors.
In March, the British government said it would allow 3,000 unaccompanied child refugees into the country. But so far this year, only 80 have been accepted from France; the first arrived earlier this month.
This is not the first time the 'Jungle' has been cleared
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.
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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.
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A trailer burns in the Calais "Jungle" early on Friday, October 28.
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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.
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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.
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Heavy machinery is used to remove debris from the camp on October 27.
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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.
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A migrant shaves while cleaning crews continue demolition of the Jungle on October 27
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Photos: The saga of the Calais 'Jungle'
A French fireman attempts to extinguish a blaze in the Calais Jungle on October 26.
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Remaining migrants watch fires burn across the Jungle on October 26. Migrants set fire to structures along the camp's main street.
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The remains of makeshift structures smolder from fires that broke out overnight in parts of the camp on October 26.
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A man looks skyward as he stands beside the burned remnants of his tent in the Jungle on October 26.
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A migrant walks past a burning shack that was set on fire, as a demolition crew began tearing structures down on Tuesday, October 25.
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Women and children protest their case to the UK government from the Jungle, as authorities continue the destruction of the camp on October 26.
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French authorities stand guard after migrants set fire to a shelter during the dismantling of the Calais "Jungle" camp on October 25.
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Workers begin demolishing shelters in the camp on October 25.
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A volunteer helps a man carry his luggage away from the camp on October 25.
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French demolition teams work to dismantle the camp on October 25.
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A police officer guards demolition crews as they work to dismantle the site on October 25.
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A man passes a camp structure on fire on October 25.
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A firefighter extinguishes a fire set to migrants' tents during the mass evacuation.
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Women arrive at a meeting point determined by authorities managing the evacuation of the camp.
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Migrants' belongings are trucked out of the "Jungle" on October 25.
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Sudanese migrants wait in line to board buses that will take them to relocation centers across France.
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People walk through the camp on October 25.
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A migrant sets fire to a portable toilet inside the camp on Monday, October 24.
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Police try to maintain order as migrants waiting to be processed wait in crowded lines on October 24.
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Migrants leave their makeshift homes on October 24.
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Migrants register with French authorities on October 24 before boarding buses that will transport them to shelters across France.
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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.
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Residents of the camp hug before departing the "Jungle" on October 24.
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Men, women and children leave the camp during the first day of the planned eviction on October 24.
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Riot police stand off with some of the camp's residents the night before the eviction was set to take place.
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French police fire tear gas after refugees reportedly threw rocks at police vans near the camp on Saturday, October 22.
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A view of the migrant camp in Calais on Wednesday, October 12.
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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.
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Migrants walk past security fencing on Tuesday, September 6.
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French business owners and local residents block the main road into the Port of Calais as they protest "The Jungle" on Monday, September 5.
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This aerial view taken Tuesday, August 16, shows the tents and shipping containers housing migrants in "The Jungle."
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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.
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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.
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Migrants stand next to a burning shack in the camp on Tuesday, March 1.
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A migrant makes a phone call near "The Jungle" on March 1.
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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.
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Migrants demonstrate on Monday, February 29.
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Riot police spray water on migrants to disperse them during the dismantling of half of "The Jungle" on February 29.
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A migrant flies a kite on Friday, February 19.
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Migrants walk past housing containers in "The Jungle" on Tuesday, February 16.
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Two young boys walk in the mud inside "The Jungle" in December 2015.
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A man is seen among tents in "The Jungle" in October 2015.
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French police oversee the removal of tents in September 2015.
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Afghan and Pakistani migrants eat lunch in the migrant camp in August 2015.
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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.
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A migrant hides on the train tracks in the direction of the Eurotunnel terminal in August 2015.
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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."
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Several migrants successfully cross the Eurotunnel terminal in July 2015 as they try to reach a shuttle to the UK.
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Displaced from "The Jungle" camp, Afghan migrants congregate in Calais' harbor in September 2009.
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A digger lifts a migrant's makeshift tent during a destruction operation in September 2009.
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An aerial view of the camp in September 2009.
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Migrants from Afghanistan look at a ferry boat in Calais in September 2009.
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Migrants jump onto the back of a UK-bound truck in March 2006.
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Although the population of the camp has swelled to its highest number in the past year, Calais has attracted thousands of refugees and asylum seekers for at least 17 years.
It was first closed in 2001, prompting a cycle of destruction and rebuilding between migrants and the authorities that have defined the camp ever since.
This March, the southern half of the camp was demolished. But by August, French authorities reported a 53% rise in the camp's population over the course of two months -- the biggest influx of migrants the "Jungle" has ever seen.
Why is it this new clearing happening?
Earlier this month, French President Francois Hollande announced the "full and final" dismantlement of the camp.
As it's an unofficial camp, the "Jungle" does not qualify for international assistance. There are not enough funds or manpower to keep sanitation and security under control.
Migrants' basic needs are often addressed by charities and NGOS working on the ground. And although these organizations provide vital, daily assistance, their work is not a permanent solution.
The closure comes at a time that Europe's growing immigration crisis, fear of terrorism and the spread of anti-migration movements have soared.
The plan is to have the camp completely torn down by December, according to the French Ministry of the Interior.
Could another 'Jungle' grow?
A child looks at a Banksy mural representing migrant children, in Calais in December 2015.
French authorities have said the migrants and refugees will be given two options: to seek asylum in France and be relocated within the country or to return to their country of origin.
If relocated within France, they will be moved to temporary accommodation in a shelter while their claim is processed.
In the past year alone, up to 6,000 Calais residents have been moved to other locations in France, where 80% have applied for asylum.
Some charities working inside the camps say that although the proposed living arrangements are a suitable alternative for those seeking asylum in France, the solution is not viable for many who wish to settle in the UK.
"Many refugees in Calais have strong reasons for wanting to get to the UK and will simply return to Calais," charity Care4Calais said.
