France and Britain have been at odds over Ukrainian refugees in the French port of Calais. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin urged Britain on Sunday to do more to help Ukrainian refugees, saying British officials were turning many away for not having the necessary visas or paperwork.
The United Kingdom's response is "completely unsuitable" and shows a "lack of humanity" towards refugees who are often "in distress," Darmanin said in a letter to British counterpart Priti Patel seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP), urging London to set up a proper consular presence in Calais to issue visas.
"I have twice contacted twice my British counterpart, I told her to set up a consulate in Calais," Darmanin also told Europe 1 radio, referring to British Home Secretary Priti Patel.
Hundreds of Ukrainians have come to Calais in the last days after fleeing the Russian invasion of their country hoping to join relatives already established in the U.K.
"We have good relations with (Patel). I am sure she is a decent person. I am sure she will solve this problem," he added.
Darmanin said that in the last days 400 Ukrainian refugees have presented themselves at Calais border crossings but some 150 of them were told go go away and obtain visas at U.K. consulates in Paris or Brussels.
France had said Thursday that Britain would set up a pop-up visa center in Calais to issue visas after Britain announced a family scheme to allow immediate and extended family members of Ukrainians settled in the U.K. to travel there.
Darmanin and Patel have clashed in the past over how France and Britain tackle the issue of migrants – many from Africa and the Middle East – risking their lives by crossing the English Channel in makeshift dinghies.
Migration is a sensitive issue in Britain, where Brexit campaigners told voters that leaving the European Union would mean regaining control of borders. London has in the past threatened to cut financial support for France's border policing if it fails to stem the flow of migrants.
Last November, 27 migrants died when they tried to cross the English Channel in a dinghy.
The tragedy prompted both sides to exchange accusations of not doing enough to protect migrants and crack down on people traffickers who organize the dangerous crossings in small boats.
"Our coasts have been the scene of too many human tragedies," Darmamin told Patel, alluding to the risk that Ukrainians could seek to cross clandestinely by sea if they did not obtain visas.
"Let's not add to that those Ukrainian families," he said.