Up until this summer, Ventimiglia was best known for its Tuesday market, which is famously awash with counterfeit designer leather goods. It was also known a destination for French smokers looking to score cheap cigarettes. But since mid-June, this small harbor town has become a way station for hundreds of people awaiting opportunities to cross into France and travel farther north.Italy is often just one port of call on the migrant journey, with many hoping to reach countries like Sweden, Germany, or the UK, via France.Related: What We Witnessed at a French Migrant Camp Allegedly Controlled by People SmugglersStarting on June 11, French police officers have cracked down on migrants and refugees crossing into national territory, forcing hundreds of people to camp out on the France-Italy border or crowd into a narrow corridor in the local train station. In response to the crisis, the Italian Red Cross set up a temporary shelter near the station.
A former border control post in Ventimiglia station, where migrants lived in crowded conditions prior to the opening of the Red Cross shelter. (Image by Pierre Longeray/VICE News)
Migrants inside the Red Cross shelter in Ventimiglia. The medical center is inside the truck. (Image by Pierre Longeray/VICE News)
Migrants in Ventimiglia line up outside the canteen for lunch. (Photo by Pierre Longeray/VICE News)
One of the rooms in the shelter where migrants sleep. (Image by Pierre Longeray/VICE News)
An Italian Red Cross volunteer serves up lunch to migrants in the Ventimiglia shelter. (Image by Pierre Longeray/VICE News)
Back at camp, people exchange tips on how to reach France, comparing costs and success rates. Most quote a price between 200 and 300 euros ($225 to $338) to be smuggled across the border— a high price for refugees, many of whom have run out of money by the time they reach Ventimiglia.The smugglers, they say, show up at night with refrigerated trucks. Farooq, a migrant from Pakistan, explains that some migrants try to walk across the mountain at night, but for that, he adds, you need a map, a guide, or a GPS.Many of those waiting in Ventimiglia aspire to one day reach the UK. Others have already registered their claims in Italy. Still others — like Farooq and 17-year-old Moussa, from Chad — dream of reaching France. Moussa wants to join the foreign legion and Farooq wants to work as a laborer. "Compared to my country, the economy is good in France," said Farooq.
Two Sudanese migrants look at the train schedule in Ventimiglia station. Behind the gate lies the corridor where migrants took shelter in June. (Image by Pierre Longeray/VICE News)
The train station in Ventimiglia. (Image by Pierre Longeray/VICE News)
Four people stopped at Nice-Ville station (Image by Pierre Longeray/VICE News)
