Ivette Lopez

English 1102
The Crisis
All around the world, hundreds of thousands of people leave their homes in search of a
better one. This means traveling thousands of miles away from the home they grew up in. Many
families leave everything they have and risk their lives the minute they begin their journey for a
brighter future, others simply leave home to reunite with their long-lost families. Calais is a
small town in France right on the border of Great Britain where many migrants camp out and
wait for the perfect time to cross over. Today Britain houses many immigrants who derived from
Calais. Although Calais is close to Great Britains borders the trip to get across has also been a
journey on its own for many migrants. Britains border patrol has become one of the strictest due
to all the migrants who show up daily, but still many migrants believe Britain should cut down
on their border patrol forces and let broken families reunite in peace. Britain can soon become a
dangerous country if they start letting just anyone in without proper identification as not
everyone who is arriving at their borders is there to reunite with family. Today I will be arguing
whether if Britain should or should not keep their border patrol forces at full effect, as well as
should the people of Britain give these vulnerable migrants a chance to reunite with their
families. The migrants of Calais have traveled thousands of miles to find themselves at peace,
but should Britain grant these migrants the miracle theyve been looking for?
Calais has become the hot spot for most people who want to cross the border to Britain
to either reunite with families or to simply escape the dangerous war back at home Abstract in
France in 2012, of the total population of 65.2 million, 8.7 % were migrants. After being the third

principal host country, France is now the 6th highest host country in the OECD (Andre 1).
OECD, short for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Once in Calais
migrants set up their tents and camp out and wait until its their time to cross over to Britain
which can take not one but a few attempts and many years. These camping sites are now known
as The Jungle because the emptiness that once was Calais is now covered in tents and beat
down homes made of anything these migrants could find. The primary reason they move is
because of the devastations the war has left Never before has the United Nations been asked to
reach so many with emergency food assistance and other life-saving support. We should be
wary of careless references to unprecedented crises, but in this case the statistics are on his side.
The migrants in Calais continue to come primarily from countries affected by war or civil war
(Reinisch 518). Many are escaping lifes harsh realities, most want to be free and not cause harm
but cannot get into Britain without proper identification which is what many migrants lack.
Asylum is another word they call the people who have been camping out for what feels like
years because they cannot cross over causing them to stay living in poor conditions with little to
no food making them vulnerable to infections, illnesses, and malnutrition.
As stated before, many immigrants have taken a long journey to get where they are now
and have lived in some of the poorest, unsanitized conditions causing poor hygiene and illness.
respective of the route taken, deprivation during migration, poor living conditions and lack of
adequate hygiene make refugees vulnerable to respiratory and gastrointestinal illness and skin
diseases. In Calais, wounds frequently become severely infected, requiring hospital admission
for surgical debridement and intravenous antibiotics (Daynes 437). Because not every migrant
can afford medical assistance many live with the infected cuts and fight off the best they can any
illness they get into contact with. With foreign diseases entering through the borders of Britain,

this causes new illnesses to get in contact with Britains natives rarely but surely starting
epidemics. It is not just the travel where you can get in contact with diseases and infections, but
many who are forced to sleep in the dirty ground can also contract something Neglected
intestinal parasitic infections(IPIs) such as soil-transmitted helminthes (STH) have been
recognized as one of the main causes of illnesses especially among disadvantaged communities
(Sahimin 2). No matter what, immigrants who are traveling cannot escape catching a dangerous
infection and have no option than to deal with it because of the lack of health care Refugees and
migrants on the move are often reluctant to stop and actively seek out medical care, even if they
desperately need it, for fear of separating from their families. However, refugees and migrants
are also struggling to access primary healthcare when they settle in Europe (Daynes 438). This
can be a deadly journey for some migrants who risk not looking for health care services for the
sake of staying together with their families.
Not just anyone risks their life to escape war and search for a new beginning, but most of
the travelers who end up in Calais awaiting their time to cross over are children whose only
company is the people they have met along the way. Britain, however, has reached out to help
any undocumented young migrant and has also helped many reunite with their lost family
members. The younger the traveler is, the more likely they are to be helped once over in Britain,
but many have faked their ages to simply be able to get the same hospitality the young travelers
obtain because many dont have, or have very little proper forms of identification. This situation
has led to many abusing Britains help. Adults portraying a character of a young teen to get into
Britain quickly and easily has increased the risk of a foreign invaders to cause harm to the people
of Britain and the country itself The newspaper depicted a turf war between the countries with
France blaming Britains generous welfare benefit system as encouraging foreigners from all

over the world to use their country as a base to get to the United Kingdom (Allen 2009f). British
authorities were also perceived by the French as being too lenient in their security checks
(Ibrahim 325). This now has led many young migrants without proper identification with the rest
of the migrants that are waiting to enter Britain. Falsifying identification in order for an easier
access in to a country can start to house many criminals and in the long run can ruin a country or
even start a new war. Not to mention this was one of many reasons Britain had to double and put
many more restrictions on their border patrol forces.
Britains border patrol has only gotten stronger since crisis has begun, as mentioned
before, but the crisis in Calais, France has dated way back to the 90s in many ways the 1999
2002 Calais crisis was not all that different from what is going on now. Calais still lies at the
Schengen border and between different asylum and migration systems. The debate between
proponents of a humanitarian idea to help vulnerable people in need, and those who argue that
perceived and actual harshness in their treatment can deter new arrivals, is as paralyzing as it has
always been (Reinisch 519). Just when these migrants thought living in the poorest conditions
in Calais was going to be the worst of the situation, many meet up face to face with Britains
border patrol. Britains border patrol was one the easiest to cross, but with the manipulation and
crisis that is in Calais, their border patrol is at full effect as it never was before Tear gas (CS
gas) was regularly used by authorities to disperse groups, causing facial burns and sickness
(Langtry 673). Everyone gets beaten down by officials when they try crossing over illegally
including young teens get beaten down by officials when they try to climb fences over. There are
also unfortunate people who arent able to make it over the wired fences and end up with big cuts
that soon become infected and cannot be cured with the proper medications.

Calais, France for many has not only been the hot spot, but to some it has been the safe
spot of their travels. Reinisch, estimates there to be 3,000 migrants staying in a makeshift camp
in the town of Calais (515). On the news today we hear so much about the refugees from all
around the world and we hear a bit about their experiences, but we rarely ever talk about what
we do or what we can do to help these people. Like Brighid Langtry, she heard the news about
the little boy that was washed up on the shores of Syria and immediately thought there had to be
some change done. This does not mean make room for them in your house, but if we are going to
let innocent migrants camp out while they wait for their chance to get into Britain or anywhere,
why not help them by bringing them the adequate necessities they need to survive I felt
compelled to help and, with my background in community nursing, I could really put my
assessment and wound care skills to use. After scouring various web pages and groups on
Facebook, I came across Refugee Support First Aid and Care Team (673). Langtry took the
chance of helping with what she could. She felt the help was needed and she was willing to help
because all she wanted was to see some change. The help they receive is there for anyone
traveling and it may not be a lot to them, but it is enough to get them through another day. This
goes to show just how desperately in need most of these migrants are. Families, including
mothers with babies, go from leaving their homes that have been devastated by war to sleeping
on dirt for no estimated amount of time.
Many migrants are on the move today for a second chance at a better life. They have
risked and left everything they once had behind to begin a crucial journey most coming from
countries across the world. Calais, France has become home to many migrants awaiting their
perfect moment to get into Britain, some in search for family members, others simply to escape
war and be at peace. The journey has made many of the migrants vulnerable to diseases, as well

has made many manipulate Britains border patrol in order to get an easier access in this causing
Britains border patrol to strengthen their border surveillance making it even harder on a
migrants journey to get across. However, migrants believe Britain should give even the
undocumented a chance to restart their life in Britain and should cut down on the forces the
border patrol has. Unlike the migrants, the natives of Britain believe they should have every
force up there stopping any immigrant from coming across because they can harm a great
country. Today, thousands of immigrants travel all over the world for a better future and although
migrants are seen as invasive the question still remains if migrants from Calais deserve a chance
to reunite with their families or for others get a second chance to make their life better away from
war.

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