CALAIS , France ( CNN ) -- French authorities on Tuesday dismantled a makeshift camp dubbed `` the Jungle , '' which housed illegal migrants fleeing dangerous homelands to seek a more prosperous life in Europe . After being forced from their makeshift home , occupants of `` the Jungle '' were driven away in buses for processing . French police broke up protests by refugee rights advocates and began clearing the squalid camp . The French government said it was targeting human smuggling and did not say where the migrants would be relocated . Police arrested 276 migrants , 125 of whom were minors , said Calais prefecture official Catherine Mande . See photos of police clearing the camp » . A statement from the French immigration minister 's office said the `` illegal encampments '' would be destroyed and then three bulldozers , a dozen trucks and a logging company would return the land to its natural state . Watch a report on the camp 's closure » . The statement said the goal was to destroy the Jungle and other migrant shanties , `` which have become the main launch pad for clandestine immigration into the United Kingdom . '' Was the French government right to demolish the illegal migrant camp ? Aided by smugglers , many of the migrants in coastal northern France attempt to make it into Britain , hiding in trucks that cross the English Channel . France and Britain signed an agreement in July to crack down on illegal immigration , including dispersing the migrants at the Jungle . British Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he was `` delighted '' to hear that France was honoring the agreement . `` The measures that we have put in place are not only there to prevent illegal immigration but also to stop people trafficking , '' he said . `` We are working with the French not only to strengthen our shared border but that of Europe as a whole . '' Johnson said both nations were committed `` to helping individuals who are genuine refugees . '' Others who do n't need protection were expected to return home , he said . The Jungle -- shanties cobbled from cardboard , plastic tarpaulins and scraps of wood -- housed as many as 1,000 men from nations such as Afghanistan , Iraq , Iran and Somalia . Camp resident Mohammed Bashir escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan and made a new home in a tent here , among the heaps of garbage , sand and bramble on the outskirts of the French port city of Calais . Sometimes , eight men shared the tent . `` I never lived in such a condition like this back home , but right now we do n't have any other choice , '' said Bashir , 24 , who left behind his family . `` It 's very difficult , very hard for a person who has children and parents . '' Desperation filled the air in the Jungle . Many residents survived arduous and illegal treks from their homelands . Some held ambitions to keep going another 20 miles , across the water to Britain . Others hoped to realize refugee status in France . See a map of the region » . But Tuesday , they were forced to put their plans on hold as they were evicted from the Jungle . Refugee advocates circled the migrants and scuffled with police to keep them at bay . But eventually , the protests were broken up , the migrants were taken away and the shanties started coming down . The French government 's decision drew criticism from humanitarian workers who do n't think that demolishing the camp will help resolve illegal immigration issues . They say moving the migrants is simply displacing the problem . `` We do n't know where they 're going to go , '' said Matthieu Tardis , an advocate for asylum seekers . `` We do n't know what the government plans to do . We are not respecting human rights here , for sure . '' The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees sent staff to Calais earlier in the summer to counsel people about asylum procedures in France and Britain . According to the U.N. agency , most of the illegal migrants enter Europe through Greece and often fall victim to smugglers who turn a profit by helping migrants reach their destinations . The camp residents who fled Afghanistan told CNN they had paid smugglers large sums . They were promised much more than the filthy camp , they said . Bashir said he had no choice but to flee his home after Taliban militants accused him of spying . `` When they do n't need you , they just slaughter you , '' he said . `` They threatened me that [ I would ] be slaughtered . '' Bashir 's future remains uncertain as ever . He is sure only of one thing : He can not go home .
French police arrest 276 migrants at `` Jungle '' camp , 125 were minors . Migrants had been living in makeshift tents made from cardboard , plastic sheeting . Refugee advocates circled the migrants , trying to keep police at bay . The French government has not said where the migrants would be relocated .