--- title: Calais Crisis: See Migrants Makeshift Camps description: Thousands of migrants hope for better lives as they wait in Calais for a ride to the U.K. canonical: https://time.com/3983113/calais-migrants-camp-jungle/ author: Olivier Laurent article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-03T22:45:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:40:09.984Z article:section: World og:title: See the Lives of Calais' Migrants og:description: Every day, thousands of migrants try to board a train or ferry for the U.K. in France. og:url: https://time.com/3983113/calais-migrants-camp-jungle/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1be7de08f142b229/69885dbc35ba6fa3bec0e7f7/calais-migrants-camps-jungle-11.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: calais migrants camps jungle og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See the Lives of Calais' Migrants twitter:description: Every day, thousands of migrants try to board a train or ferry for the U.K. in France. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1be7de08f142b229/69885dbc35ba6fa3bec0e7f7/calais-migrants-camps-jungle-11.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See the Lives of Calais' Migrants by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Aug 3, 2015 10:45 PM CUT  Men walk through a field near the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles in Calais, on July 30, 2015. Men walk through a field near the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles in Calais, on July 30, 2015.Rob Stothard—Getty Images by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Aug 3, 2015 10:45 PM CUT Every day, thousands of migrants, most of them Syrians, Sudanese, Eritreans and Afghans, try to board a train or ferry for the U.K. in Calais, France. “People are just hiding in the shadows with hope for a chance to jump on a train,” says photographer Rob Stothard, a freelancer for Getty Images who went to the area on July 30\. “But, if you ask me, it’s an impossible task.” This immigration [crisis](http://time.com/3981909/migrant-political-crisis-calais/ "undefined"), which has been active for more than 15 years, came back into the headlines last week after large groups of migrants defied police forces near the Eurotunnel entrance. For four days, Stothard photographed these groups, getting close to people ready to risk their lives for a better one across the Channel. His photographs offer a close and intimate look into the migrants’ lives in a makeshift camp known as “[the Jungle](http://time.com/3981246/inside-calais-camps-jungle/ "undefined").”  A tent at a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on July 31, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images “I spent a lot of time not taking pictures, which can be frustrating for a photographer,” he tells TIME. “A bit of Arabic helped break the ice. Often in these situations, there’s that kind of distance between them and journalists, especially since the narrative in the British media has been very negative. They are all very aware of that.” As a result, Stothard was often asked about the political situation in his native Britain. “They wonder why they’re able to get this far–crossing all of Europe–and not be able to make the final step. They get so far and they’re still so far away in the end.” Many migrants don’t understand the U.K.’s unwillingness to welcome them on British soil. “They grew up learning English, and yet they are not allowed to go to a place where they can speak that language,” says Stothard. “Why would they go to Germany, for example, if they don’t speak the language and can’t be of use there. These are people who really want to work. They want to do something and they see the U.K. as being the best place for them.” For many migrants, the daily attempts to cross the Channel can take their tolls–physically, as many suffer injuries when they try to board a moving train or truck, and psychologically. “At the end of the night, when morning comes, some people think there’s no chance,” he says. “But there’s a collective will and every time someone makes it through, that message gets out to everybody in the camp, giving them more hope.” [**_Rob Stothard_**](http://robstothard.co.uk/ "undefined") _is a freelance photojournalist based in London, U.K._ **_Mikko Takkunen_**_, who edited this photo essay, is an Associate Photo Editor at TIME. Follow him on Twitter_ [_@photojournalism_](http://www.twitter.com/photojournalism "undefined")_._ **_Olivier Laurent_** _is the editor of TIME LightBox. Follow him on_ [_Twitter_](http://twitter.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](http://instagram.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _@olivierclaurent_  Gendarmerie attempt to prevent people from entering the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles in Calais, France, on July 30, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  People help a young man squeeze through a gap in a fence near the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles in Calais, on July 30, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  Men walk through a field near the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles in Calais, on July 30, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  The sun sets behind a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on Aug. 2, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  Gamal and Sabry from Sudan build a wooden structure at a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on July 31, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  Men buy from a shop run by Afghanis at a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on July 31, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  Sudanese men play cards in a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on Aug. 1, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  A woman enters the site of a church in a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on July 31, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  Kibrom Kasta leads an Orthodox service for Ethiopian and Eritrean worshippers at a church in a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on Aug. 2, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  Ethiopian and Eritrean worshippers attend an Orthodox serivce at a church in a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on Aug. 2, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  A Sudanese man is seen in a piece of broken mirror whilst having his hair cut in a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on Aug. 2, 2015. Rob Stothard—Getty Images  A man uses a mobile phone on a bank in a make shift camp near the port of Calais, on Aug. 2, 2015. 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