In France’s Basque Region, Police Tackle New Migration Flashpoint

By Regis Duvignau and Claude Canellas

BAYONNE, France (Reuters) – In the picturesque Basque Country town of Bayonne, located at the base of the Pyrenees, French police are facing increasing challenges in managing the rising number of migrants crossing the snow-covered mountains that form the natural border between France and Spain.

Following the election of a populist government in Italy early last year, which significantly restricted migrant arrivals at their ports, Spain has emerged as a critical entry point for individuals from Africa seeking refuge from conflict and poverty.

In 2018, over 58,000 migrants reached Spain by boat, according to the International Organization for Migration, marking nearly a threefold increase from the previous year and surpassing the number of migrants arriving in Italy from North Africa for the first time.

Many migrants make their way northward, infiltrating the French border through concealed methods, whether in trucks, buses, or on foot, traversing mountains that reach heights of 3,400 meters (11,000 feet) and often endure winter temperatures that plummet below freezing.

“My colleagues are dedicated professionals, but they become disheartened when their searches just result in migrants being sent back over the border, only to return again. It feels like trying to empty an ocean with a spoon,” explained Patrice Peyruqueou, a police official in the southwestern Pyrenees-Atlantiques region of France.

According to Peyruqueou, the limited resources available prevent police from monitoring all border crossing points continuously.

The European Union has struggled to reconcile differences among member states regarding migration policy, despite a significant decline in the total number of arrivals from Africa and the Middle East.

With Spain at the center of the issue, Bayonne, located 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the border, is dealing with a humanitarian crisis that is putting pressure on the town’s finances and creating tensions between Mayor Jean-Rene Etchegaray and the local representative from the interior ministry.

At the start of the new year, Etchegaray requested financial support from the local prefect to help operate a reception center named “La Pausa,” which accommodates up to 150 migrants at any given time, providing them with temporary shelter, meals, and clothing donations.

However, the then local prefect from the interior ministry, Gilbert Payet, declined to support the center, arguing that it encouraged the migration flow across France.

Etchegaray was taken aback, stating, “It’s a question of humanity,” in an interview with a local radio station.

Mokhtar, an 18-year-old Somali, fled his home country 18 months ago after being shot in the thigh and lower leg by a policeman who learned of his intentions to leave. “He said that would make it harder for me to run,” Mokhtar recounted. “I left to save my own skin.”

Mokhtar’s journey took him along a route exploited by human traffickers: across the Sahara desert to Libya, then westward along the coast to Morocco, before making the dangerous journey across the Straits of Gibraltar. He eventually made his way north through Spain and towards the French border.

“I can’t count how many times they sent me back to the Spanish side,” he shared. Eventually, a kind motorist assisted him in crossing over. Now, he dreams of achieving a normal life.

“Just the other day,” he said, “I had a toothache, and for the first time in my life, I was taken to a dentist.”