In Limbo, May 2011

In Ventimiglia, Italy, over 150 Tunisian men who left their country after the revolution are still waiting to cross the French border. They travelled by boat to Lampedusa, Italy, and made their way north, keen to quickly reach their end destination - family or friends in France.

However, they are now stuck in limbo in the small border town of Ventimiglia. The French government has made it clear that illegal immigration from their former colony of...
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In Limbo, May 2011

In Ventimiglia, Italy, over 150 Tunisian men who left their country after the revolution are still waiting to cross the French border. They travelled by boat to Lampedusa, Italy, and made their way north, keen to quickly reach their end destination - family or friends in France.

However, they are now stuck in limbo in the small border town of Ventimiglia. The French government has made it clear that illegal immigration from their former colony of Tunisia will not be tolerated and police checks have been increased across the country. An Italian temporary residence permit does not give these Tunisians the right to enter France. Even if their stay is temporary, they are obliged to show proof of adequate funds to support themselves - 62EUR per day. Men without papers and money travel light, in the hopes of not being spotted by police as migrants by police when they take the train into France.

Of those sleeping rough in Ventimiglia, the majority have been into France at least once, caught by police and sent back to the Italian border. From there, they walk 12 km back to Ventimiglia.

In this small town, the Italian Red Cross provides the migrants with food every day, and they can sleep and use washing facilities in the train station or the town's centre for the homeless. But as time goes on, they are increasingly tired, broke and frustrated with being in limbo.

The men pictured here are shown alongside photographs of all the belongings they took with them on their migration.
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