PARIS, France (Reuters) – Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced on Thursday (July 6) that she will propose a bill to the French government concerning the reception and integration of migrants in France, while also asking for the creation of a support fund for local nongovernment organizations.
Hidalgo said a dignified welcome to migrants by public authorities must be written in the law and that the refugee center in Paris’ La Chapelle district serve as a model structure in other French cities.
Since it opened early this year, the emergency reception center of La Chapelle has taken in 12,000 people for short-term stays.
Mirwais left his family behind in Afghanistan seeking a better life in the French capital, where he has been living for nine months.
He described the conditions as inhuman, with no water or shelter.
More than 1,500 migrants are camping on sidewalks, mostly in unsanitary conditions.
Interior Minister Gérard Collomb announced on Thursday that these migrants would be placed around the whole of Paris and in gymnasiums.