Story highlights
- "The Jungle," makeshift camp for refugees and migrants, to be torn down
- Thousands of residents to be evicted and offered the chance to apply for asylum in France
- Entire site, near Calais, is expected to be cleared by the end of December
(CNN)French authorities will Monday begin clearing "The Jungle," the makeshift refugee camp at Calais, giving the thousands of people living there the option to seek asylum in France or to return to their country of origin.
The plan is to have the camp completely torn down by December, according to the French Ministry of the Interior.
Some 6,900 people, more than 1,200 of them children, live in the sprawling encampment, a jumble of squalid tents and temporary shelters near the northern French port town.
On Sunday, foot patrols of volunteers will distribute flyers explaining that the camp is to close, and outlining the two options open to them: seek asylum in France and be relocated within the country or return to their country of origin.
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
Authorities say residents of the Jungle will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, beginning Monday at 8am, local time.
A large police presence will be on hand to prevent crowd problems; more than 1,250 officers have been mobilized for the first three days of the eviction operation.
Most of those living in the camp are from sub-Saharan Africa -- Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia -- and Afghanistan; they have spent months or even years there in the hope of reaching the UK, some 30 miles away across the English Channel. Refugees from war torn Iraq and Syria have also set up temporary homes in the Jungle.
Those who choose to apply for asylum will be offered the choice of two French regions; they will be taken to the location they choose by bus almost immediately and offered temporary accommodation in a shelter while their claim is processed.
Up to 60 buses are expected to leave the camp on Monday, with dozens of further departures through the week.
Special provisions are to be made for unaccompanied minors.
The evacuation operation is expected to last a week, but a ministry spokesman told CNN: "If it takes more time so be it. We have all the time in the world."
Inside the migrant 'Jungle' of Calais 02:48
Anyone who opts to go home will be taken there by plane.
Jungle inhabitants who have already sought asylum elsewhere within the European Union will be returned to that country while their application is dealt with.
Cleaners are expected to begin work at the site on Tuesday, expanding their "cleaning zone" as the evacuation proceeds.
The announcement comes days after a court challenge to halt the demolition of the camp failed.
At a press briefing in Geneva earlier this week, UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards said the closure was welcomed, as long as the French government provided a suitable solution for the displaced. He noted that the lives of children would be particularly at risk during the demolition.
"This is important so that children don't move on to other destinations and risk becoming exploited by human traffickers or end up living on the streets without any support," he said. "Strengthened measures must be taken to reunite children with relatives in Europe."
The UN says 200 of the unaccompanied children in Calais have been identified as having family links to the UK; the British government has pledged to offer them a home, but only a handful have so far been taken to the UK.
