Excerpt:
Police are preparing to dismantle makeshift camps holding close to 2,500 migrants in the French capital, France’s interior minister said Wednesday amid a debate over how best to respond to the unrelenting arrival of homeless newcomers — with humanity or muscle.
Two migrants drowned this month in canals that run beside some of the places in Paris where tent cities have gone up, and fights at camps have led to injuries, increasing the pressure on public officials to act.
A burgeoning encampment in far northeast Paris, on a canal used by joggers and cyclists, is the focal point of the debate pitting French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb against Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who are at odds over how to treat migrants and find a lasting solution.