The Socialist leader has vowed to "completely dismantle" the camp. But human rights groups and right-wing leaders have called on the president to do more about irregular migration, though from different vantage points.

Amid rats and mud, refugees struggle in Calais

Not far from the "Jungle," 3,000 people live among foul swamps in another refugee camp. The inhumane conditions have compelled MSF to build new shelter on drier grounds. Diego Cupolo reports from Dunkirk.

French President Francois Hollande on Monday visited Calais to speak with law enforcement agents and aid workers about the city's makeshift settlement, where up to 10,000 migrants live in poor conditions.

Hollande vowed to "completely and definitively dismantle" the camp, widely known as the "jungle," promising to resettle asylum seekers in reception centers around the country after the demolition. Earlier this year, authorities razed half of the camp.

On Saturday, the president said France "will provide a humane, dignified welcome to people who will file for the right of asylum."However, those rejected "will be escorted out of the country. Those are the rules and they are fully aware of them."

The French government said the informal settlement will be scrapped "before winter," although no timeline was offered for the demolition. The president's visit to Calais is seen as a bid to shore up support ahead of the presidential elections next year.

Hollande has come under pressure from his conservative predecessor Nicholas Sarkozy and anti-immigrant leader Marine Le Pen to curb the flow of migrants from war-torn countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

FACING PARTIAL EVICTION, MIGRANTS SCRAMBLE IN CALAIS 'JUNGLE'

The relocation effort

Independent volunteers have been helping Calais residents move their homes after French authorities called for a 100-meter buffer zone to be cleared around a highway adjacent to the camp. "We hope to let them keep their dignity and whatever self respect they still have after being stuck in this dump," said a volunteer who wanted to remain anonymous.