1,500 Migrants live in small, dirty tents, all hoping to cross the English Channel to reach the UK ( Video)

In a quiet part of Calais, there are two old warehouses—one painted yellow and the other orange. These buildings are as long as a football field and are now home to around 1,500 migrants. These people live in small, dirty tents, packed tightly together, all hoping to cross the English Channel to reach the UK. The conditions inside are terrible.

The smell of urine is strong and hard to bear because there are only a few toilets for everyone to share. Most of the people here are from Sudan, and many are very thin and sick. They ask for medicine, believing that once they get to England, they will receive free healthcare and a chance at a better life.

Every day at 1 p.m., a charity arrives in a white van to hand out rice and chicken to the migrants. Hundreds of people line up outside the warehouses, waiting for this small meal. For many, this is their only reliable source of food. Most of these migrants originally came to Europe by boat from Libya, landing in Italy. But Italy has turned them away, and now they see Britain as their last hope.

In the middle of the warehouse, there is a small space cleared between the tents. This area is used for prayer. A few copies of the Quran are neatly stacked, and an Arabic-style rug lies on the floor. Every Friday, the migrants, who are almost all Muslim, gather here to pray. It’s a quiet moment of peace in an otherwise difficult life. Surprisingly, most people in Calais don’t even know this place exists.

The situation isn’t unique to Calais. Across Europe, countries that once welcomed refugees are now closing their doors. Italy’s leader, Giorgia Meloni, has promised to stop illegal migrants from entering the country. She says Italy must protect its identity and values.

Other countries like Germany and Sweden, which once accepted refugees without question, are now also turning them away. In the UK, the government has stopped a plan to send migrants to Rwanda for processing, and since last summer, more than 24,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, risking their lives to reach British shores.

In Dunkirk, another town near Calais, I met a 17-year-old Afghan boy named Albert. He told me he had lived in Sweden for three months but was forced to leave. “Stockholm refused me asylum,” he said in clear English. “I had nowhere else to go but here. I want to reach the UK by boat. I can’t go back to Afghanistan.” Like many others, Albert believes Britain is his best chance for safety and a new life.

Another young man, Ismail, is from Sudan. He arrived in Italy two years ago after crossing the Mediterranean from Libya. But Italy deported him back to Libya, where he was put in jail. Somehow, he managed to return to Italy, but the country didn’t want him. “The Italians didn’t want me or any Africans,” he said. “I don’t have friends or family in Europe.

I had nowhere to go, so I came to Calais.” Ismail has tried six times to sneak onto trucks heading to England. He dreams of reaching London, where he has a cousin. “When I get to England and have a room in a hotel, I will be proud,” he said. “I will tell my father the truth. I want to study to become a computer engineer.”

For now, Ismail and the others in the warehouse spend their days thinking about how to cross the 21 miles of sea to reach the White Cliffs of Dover. They feel abandoned by Europe, which once seemed welcoming but now feels cold and unwelcoming. They are counting on Britain to open its doors and give them a chance to rebuild their lives. Every day, they hold onto hope, even as they face unimaginable challenges.