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| Hundreds of Migrants Try to Cross English Channel on Freight Trains | Hundreds of Migrants Try to Cross English Channel on Freight Trains |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| PARIS — Under cover of darkness, group after group of migrants made their way to the Eurotunnel compound in Calais, France, overnight on Monday, climbing over fences and other barriers in a desperate bid to board freight trains bound for Britain. | |
| By 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the authorities had counted at least 2,100 efforts to enter the site, which is protected by Eurotunnel security and other law enforcement agencies. Nineteen hundred people were turned back; 200 were arrested and six were injured, the authorities said. It was not clear if any of the migrants actually got aboard the trains, which carry passenger cars and trucks under the English Channel to Britain. | By 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the authorities had counted at least 2,100 efforts to enter the site, which is protected by Eurotunnel security and other law enforcement agencies. Nineteen hundred people were turned back; 200 were arrested and six were injured, the authorities said. It was not clear if any of the migrants actually got aboard the trains, which carry passenger cars and trucks under the English Channel to Britain. |
| “Some migrants must have tried several times” to penetrate the site, said Romain Dufour, a spokesman for Eurotunnel in France. | “Some migrants must have tried several times” to penetrate the site, said Romain Dufour, a spokesman for Eurotunnel in France. |
| “This wasn’t a wave; this was many groups, all night long,” he added. “It was more significant numbers than usual.” | “This wasn’t a wave; this was many groups, all night long,” he added. “It was more significant numbers than usual.” |
| Calais has long been the last stop for migrants before the English Channel, and many of them believe the tunnel is their best hope for finding a way to Britain. | Calais has long been the last stop for migrants before the English Channel, and many of them believe the tunnel is their best hope for finding a way to Britain. |
| As the numbers of migrants reaching Europe have swelled, especially over the last two years with more and more crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa or journeying overland from the war-torn Middle East, the migrant problem in Calais has steadily worsened. The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 100,000 have arrived in Europe this year. | As the numbers of migrants reaching Europe have swelled, especially over the last two years with more and more crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa or journeying overland from the war-torn Middle East, the migrant problem in Calais has steadily worsened. The International Organization for Migration estimates that more than 100,000 have arrived in Europe this year. |
| The migrants in Calais now number more than 3,000, according to local volunteers, and some say the numbers are even higher. In past years, the population of migrant camps at Calais — and there have been successive settlements in the last decade or so — did not exceed 2,000, according to aid workers. | The migrants in Calais now number more than 3,000, according to local volunteers, and some say the numbers are even higher. In past years, the population of migrant camps at Calais — and there have been successive settlements in the last decade or so — did not exceed 2,000, according to aid workers. |
| Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said that in July alone there had been 4,500 efforts by migrants to cross the Channel at Calais. | Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said that in July alone there had been 4,500 efforts by migrants to cross the Channel at Calais. |
| The migrants there are now confined to a squalid camp with few toilets and little water on the edge of the small city. During a recent visit, it seemed most of those in the camps were Afghans, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Syrians and Sudanese. | The migrants there are now confined to a squalid camp with few toilets and little water on the edge of the small city. During a recent visit, it seemed most of those in the camps were Afghans, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Syrians and Sudanese. |
| Most plan to seek asylum when they arrive in Britain or ask for protection as refugees. They say they are choosing to go there because they have relatives there, speak some English or believe they are more likely to get housing once they apply for asylum. It is not clear whether that belief is true. In Britain, as in many other European countries, misgivings about immigration, and sometimes outright hostility, are now expressed openly by mainstream politicians. | Most plan to seek asylum when they arrive in Britain or ask for protection as refugees. They say they are choosing to go there because they have relatives there, speak some English or believe they are more likely to get housing once they apply for asylum. It is not clear whether that belief is true. In Britain, as in many other European countries, misgivings about immigration, and sometimes outright hostility, are now expressed openly by mainstream politicians. |
| The migrants most anxious to get across recently have been the Eritreans, of whom there are a large number in the camp, said Muriel Merlin, a volunteer from Calais who works in the camp. | The migrants most anxious to get across recently have been the Eritreans, of whom there are a large number in the camp, said Muriel Merlin, a volunteer from Calais who works in the camp. |
| “It’s not a surprise,” she said of the high numbers trying to cross overnight on Monday. She said that because the French and British authorities, who work together to protect the port, have put up much more substantial barriers, the migrants are trying to find a way to board the trains. | “It’s not a surprise,” she said of the high numbers trying to cross overnight on Monday. She said that because the French and British authorities, who work together to protect the port, have put up much more substantial barriers, the migrants are trying to find a way to board the trains. |
| “They go on ‘en masse’ to have more strength,” Ms. Merlin said, when asked why they would all go together when they knew that they would most likely be turned back. | “They go on ‘en masse’ to have more strength,” Ms. Merlin said, when asked why they would all go together when they knew that they would most likely be turned back. |
| “They absolutely want to go to England,” she said, adding, “Perhaps they are hoping to show their determination.” | “They absolutely want to go to England,” she said, adding, “Perhaps they are hoping to show their determination.” |
| In the past, the journey was easier, in part because the port itself was less protected. It was possible to sneak onto the ferries that go from Calais to Dover or to climb aboard the trucks as they waited to drive onto a train. | In the past, the journey was easier, in part because the port itself was less protected. It was possible to sneak onto the ferries that go from Calais to Dover or to climb aboard the trucks as they waited to drive onto a train. |
| The British home secretary, Theresa May, met with Mr. Cazeneuve in London on Tuesday and committed to spending an additional 7 million pounds, or $11 million, on security measures on the French and British sides of the Channel, according to a report by Agence France-Presse. The British have already committed £15 million to the effort, the report added. | The British home secretary, Theresa May, met with Mr. Cazeneuve in London on Tuesday and committed to spending an additional 7 million pounds, or $11 million, on security measures on the French and British sides of the Channel, according to a report by Agence France-Presse. The British have already committed £15 million to the effort, the report added. |
| Trying to stow away on a car train can be very dangerous, and eight migrants have died in the attempt since the beginning of June. Yet many migrants consider that far less hazardous than, say, crossing the Mediterranean in a flimsy boat. And for many, it seems worth the risk. | Trying to stow away on a car train can be very dangerous, and eight migrants have died in the attempt since the beginning of June. Yet many migrants consider that far less hazardous than, say, crossing the Mediterranean in a flimsy boat. And for many, it seems worth the risk. |
| When asked how often he had tried, an Eritrean man recently interviewed on the edge of Calais said: “Every night. Maybe tonight I will be lucky.” | When asked how often he had tried, an Eritrean man recently interviewed on the edge of Calais said: “Every night. Maybe tonight I will be lucky.” |