Inès Zeghloul/Photo credits: AFP 08:36, February 27, 2024

The small town of Thiverval-Grignon in Yvelines finds itself at the heart of the news despite itself.

The town's 17th century castle is welcoming nearly 300 migrants from Mayotte this week.

An imposed decision regrets the town hall, which considers that such a residence cannot be used as emergency accommodation. 

Their arrival is controversial.

Some 300 African migrants, who came from Mayotte after having obtained asylum, settled in the town of Thiverval-Grignon in Yvelines.

The town's 17th century castle was transformed into a migrant reception camp for the occasion. 

In detail, the 308 refugees were transferred from the Cavani camp on Hippocampus Island near Madagascar and are housed in the residence until mid-March.

All have international political refugee status, most having fled conflicts in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

If the accommodation is therefore transitional, the mayor of the city, Nadine Gohard regrets a sudden transfer, under constraint and without possible negotiation. 

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A site which is not intended for emergency reception, estimates the town hall

“It’s true that we have no choice. It’s private state land. It belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture, so they do what they want with their home,” explains the councilor at the microphone of Europe 1, before adding: “I had demands on the management, so they were kind enough to concede that it was Emmaüs which manages its reception”. 

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In a letter sent to her constituents, the mayor also specifies "to strive to obtain guarantees both for the well-being and for the safety of people".

The refugees are staying in the former student residences of the area which previously housed the AgroParisTech school, the same ones which had already welcomed hundreds of homeless people last year.

So, it is the future of this 17th century castle which is now at the center of concerns.

Emergency reception is not the purpose of this exceptional site, deplores the town hall.