Image copyright PAMigrants in Calais seeking asylum in the UK should be allowed to lodge their claim in France, the president of the region has told the BBC.
Xavier Bertrand said 9,000 migrants, many trying to get to the UK, were in a Calais camp known as the Jungle.
He said he wanted a new deal in which migrants could apply for UK asylum at a "hotspot" in France rather than having to wait to reach British soil.
Anyone rejected would be deported directly to their country of origin.
Calais has become the focal point of France"s refugee crisis.
The Jungle camp is expanding and almost every night people there try to hide inside vehicles entering the port and the Channel Tunnel to get to Britain.
Mr Bertrand wants changes to the bilateral agreement between France and the UK called the Treaty of Le Touquet.
Under the treaty, British immigration officials check passports in Calais – meaning Britain"s border with France remains on French soil.
Why don"t Calais migrants claim asylum in France?
Currently migrants can only claim asylum in the UK when they arrive in the country. They are told to present themselves to the authorities "when you arrive in the UK or as soon as you think it would be unsafe for you to return to your own country".
UK politicians have said the migrants in Calais should claim asylum in France if they need protection.
But many migrants say their life in France is "no good", and they hope for better opportunities in the UK.
Under EU rules, asylum seekers should claim asylum in the first safe country they come to.
Electronic fingerprinting means that many who make it further into Europe will end up being sent back to Italy or Greece, where many first entered the EU.
Mr Bertrand does not have the power to change the treaty but two of the candidates thought most likely to win next year"s French presidential election support his idea that it be either reformed or annulled.
It is understood Home Secretary Amber Rudd will go to Paris this week to discuss the treaty.
Border controls
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said border controls for migrants in France should be shifted back to the UK.
Earlier this month, local councils in the UK said they should be involved in assessing the needs of child migrants in Calais before they arrive in the UK.
About 4,000 lone children are claiming asylum in the UK, with their care and resettlement down to local authorities.
The Local Government Association said earlier involvement would make it easier for councils to help children settle.
Calais chief wants new migrant border deal with UK
http://latiendadejm.com/blog/calais-chief-wants-new-migrant-border-deal-with-uk/
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