The Ain departmental council will suspend the care of unaccompanied foreign minors for several months

The Ain departmental council announced the suspension at the beginning of December “for a period of at least three months” the care of new unaccompanied foreign minors (UMAs), due to lack of “reception and supervision capacities”. “The device explodes”, announced in a press release dated Wednesday, November 29, the department, after “a first alert” in September.

“Despite the opening of more than 150 accommodation places in 2023, the department no longer has solutions, neither temporary nor lasting” for new young migrants, he emphasizes, the territory being “faced for months with a massive increase in arrivals” and to the “increasing difficulty” for its partners “to recruit trained educational supervisors” in care structures.

Among the 252 direct arrivals recorded since January (compared to 131 for the whole of 2022), “a blatant acceleration” has taken place since September with an average of 43 monthly arrivals compared to 23 between January and August, according to the department. Reception of direct arrivals will therefore be suspended “from December 1, 2023 and for a period of at least three months”decided President LR Jean Deguerry, quoted in the press release, who hopes “however, continue to face the reorientations of the national unit of the Ministry of Justice”. Contacted by AFP, the Ain prefecture did not wish to comment.