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EU BORDER guards could be sent in to deal with the thousands of migrants camped at Calais - as the crisis continues to spiral out of control.
By TOM BATCHELOR
PUBLISHED: 09:00, Wed, Aug 5, 2015 | UPDATED: 09:10, Wed, Aug 5, 2015
Migrants step over a fence as they escape from railway police officers, in Calais, northern France
European Commission diplomats will meet later today to discuss sending a rapid response team from Frontex - the 28-member bloc's border force - to process asylum claims before they reach the UK.
Guards would then be able to deport migrants before they manage to cross the Channel.
The move comes as hundreds more migrants attempted the hazardous crossing via the Channel Tunnel on Monday night.
A migrant walk on railway in an attempt to access the Channel Tunnel
Eurotunnel confirmed 600 people were found in the areas surrounding the Calais terminal, while 400 tried to enter and 180 were "intercepted on site".
It is hoped using the EU border agency would discourage migrants from travelling to Calais in the first place - and from attempting to board lorries and trains bound for the UK once there.
But officials are keen to avoid setting up another version of the Sangatte migrant camp that was closed in 2002.
Fears were also raised that Britain could be forced into accepting more migrants under a deal to prevent illegal entry to the UK.
Home Secretary Theresa May will this afternoon meet with her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve and Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU commissioner in charge of home affairs including migration policy, to discuss Brussels' response to the ongoing crisis.
Among the options being considered is to use a former children's centre in Calais that was transformed into a refuge centre at the start of the year.
AP
Migrants line up as they wait for a food ration distributed by the Banque Alimentaire of Calais
The building currently houses some of the most vulnerable migrants - including women and children - but could be turned into a processing centre using EU funding.
British authorities said they were not seeking a similar arrangement with the Warsaw-based border agency for guards to be stationed on the Kent coast.
Frontex was established in 2004 to coordinate border controls across the EU.
It has been working to stem the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from north Africa to Europe, which is widely-blamed for the current crisis in Calais.
PA
A view of the migrant camp known as the new Jungle in Calais
Yesterday, a former adviser to the UK government called on Britain to take in some refugees in Calais in a bid to resolve the problem.
Nick Pearce called for United Nations officials to be brought in to register migrants massed at the French port.
He suggested it would pave the way for a deal between the French and British authorities that would be similar to the agreement struck ahead of the closure of the Sangatte camp.
EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos at a meeting with Frontex officials
The Government has yet to formalise a plan to house Calais migrants en masse in Britain.
But, ahead of discussions with EU officials this afternoon, ministers have announced plans to ease the build up of traffic caused by long queues of lorries on the M20 under Operation Stack.
Manston Airport in Kent will now be used as a temporary lorry park amid the ongoing disruption to cross-Channel rail and ferry services.
Lorries parked up on the M20 motorway in Ashford, Kent, as Operation Stack continues
Calais crisis: Frontex EU border guards could be sent to process migrants in France | World | News | Daily Express
By TOM BATCHELOR
PUBLISHED: 09:00, Wed, Aug 5, 2015 | UPDATED: 09:10, Wed, Aug 5, 2015
Migrants step over a fence as they escape from railway police officers, in Calais, northern France
European Commission diplomats will meet later today to discuss sending a rapid response team from Frontex - the 28-member bloc's border force - to process asylum claims before they reach the UK.
Guards would then be able to deport migrants before they manage to cross the Channel.
The move comes as hundreds more migrants attempted the hazardous crossing via the Channel Tunnel on Monday night.
A migrant walk on railway in an attempt to access the Channel Tunnel
Eurotunnel confirmed 600 people were found in the areas surrounding the Calais terminal, while 400 tried to enter and 180 were "intercepted on site".
It is hoped using the EU border agency would discourage migrants from travelling to Calais in the first place - and from attempting to board lorries and trains bound for the UK once there.
But officials are keen to avoid setting up another version of the Sangatte migrant camp that was closed in 2002.
Fears were also raised that Britain could be forced into accepting more migrants under a deal to prevent illegal entry to the UK.
Home Secretary Theresa May will this afternoon meet with her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve and Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU commissioner in charge of home affairs including migration policy, to discuss Brussels' response to the ongoing crisis.
Among the options being considered is to use a former children's centre in Calais that was transformed into a refuge centre at the start of the year.
Migrants line up as they wait for a food ration distributed by the Banque Alimentaire of Calais
The building currently houses some of the most vulnerable migrants - including women and children - but could be turned into a processing centre using EU funding.
British authorities said they were not seeking a similar arrangement with the Warsaw-based border agency for guards to be stationed on the Kent coast.
Frontex was established in 2004 to coordinate border controls across the EU.
It has been working to stem the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from north Africa to Europe, which is widely-blamed for the current crisis in Calais.
A view of the migrant camp known as the new Jungle in Calais
Yesterday, a former adviser to the UK government called on Britain to take in some refugees in Calais in a bid to resolve the problem.
Nick Pearce called for United Nations officials to be brought in to register migrants massed at the French port.
He suggested it would pave the way for a deal between the French and British authorities that would be similar to the agreement struck ahead of the closure of the Sangatte camp.
EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos at a meeting with Frontex officials
The Government has yet to formalise a plan to house Calais migrants en masse in Britain.
But, ahead of discussions with EU officials this afternoon, ministers have announced plans to ease the build up of traffic caused by long queues of lorries on the M20 under Operation Stack.
Manston Airport in Kent will now be used as a temporary lorry park amid the ongoing disruption to cross-Channel rail and ferry services.
Lorries parked up on the M20 motorway in Ashford, Kent, as Operation Stack continues
Calais crisis: Frontex EU border guards could be sent to process migrants in France | World | News | Daily Express