In France, President Macron is sending a clear message to refugees: no vacancies here. He made the comment on his first official visit to the port of Calais. The town was once home to a refugee camp nearly ten-thousand strong before the camp was demolished in 2016. Macron's visit comes as his government prepares to pass a harsh new immigration law. CGTN's Elena Casas has the story.

The youngest residents of Calais looked happy to see their President - but many here feel too little is being done about undocumented migrants continuing to sleep on the streets. Macron visited an asylum center that offers new arrivals a warm bed, medical care and helps with asylum applications - but he was also keen to lay down a hard line against any future camp.

EMMANUEL MACRON FRENCH PRESIDENT "Calais isn't an open entry point to England. And I want to be very clear here. That will continue to be the case. In no way will we let illegal routes to be developed here. In no way will we let a 'Jungle' spring up, or an illegal occupation of the territory."

Macron promised the state will start distributing hot meals to migrants here - but also strongly defended local security forces. Aid agencies are not impressed - they say the police measures aimed at stopping people from setting up a new camp are inhumane.

Local NGOs say at least 800 people are still sleeping rough in the Calais area - the aid agencies supply them with tents and sleeping bags like these to keep them warm on winter nights, but police spray the bedding with tear gas, or confiscate it and throw it away. 

Macron's government is trying to pass a new immigration law aimed in part at increasing deportations. It wants existing EU law strictly enforced, allowing people to be deported to the first European country they entered. And Macron's plan aims to cut the time-frame given asylum seekers to appeal - in half. Aid agencies say this just creates a boomerang effect.

MAIA KONFORTI L'AUBERGE DES MIGRANTS "Anyone who has left their fingerprints in another EU country is being sent back, but the crazy situation is that, those countries don't want them, so people get sent back to Italy, Italy doesn't take care of them, they come back to France, so you get these people who come back and forth with no place to settle, and this is what we want to stress, because this is the great majority of the people in Calais are in this situation. This is why they want to go to the UK."

President Macron also said Britain must help provide an answer - he didn't say exactly how, but the stage is set for a potential showdown with Prime Minister Theresa May when the two meet in the UK on Thursday. Macron's expected to ask Britain to take in more unaccompanied minors - and cough up more cash to protect the border. Elena Casas, CGTN, Calais.