In the empty ski resort of Montenever in the French Alps, police officers and activists patrol in search of exhausted migrants trying to bypass checkpoints.

In this city, which in recent years has become one of the main crossing points between Italy and France, about 20 volunteers regularly take part in tours to provide assistance to immigrants who are exposed to exhaustion, cold and hunger, according to Dr. Philippe de Bouton, head of the "Doctors of the World" organization.

The mayor of the Italian border village of Clavier, Franco Capra, notes that "in late December there were many more people than now seeking to cross the border."

"The Red Cross is trying to persuade families not to cross the border and is escorting them to the Italian town of Olx (15 km from Mongonifer), where they can be received at a shelter, but some of them try their luck," he said.

Fayrouz, the 38-year-old Afghani who fled the fighting in his country, arrived in Branson, about ten kilometers from Monguniver on the French side.

"I'm thinking about going to Marseille or England," he says.

Since the Rovog Solidere asylum center opened in Briançon in 2017, it has welcomed 11,500 immigrants who recieve housing and other primary care. 

For immigrants, it is an opportunity to take a breather after a long and difficult journey.

"People tell us the atrocities and robberies that they were subjected to (while crossing) in Croatia," explains Mary Daniel, a 71-year-old volunteer at the Rovoj Solidere Asylum Center.

In recent months, Médecins du Monde patrols have noticed a decrease in the number of arrivals, but also a change in the characteristics of migrants: entire families are trying to cross the border, not just men.

More and more Asians are venturing out, while previously immigrants were mainly from sub-Saharan Africa. Last year, 354 Afghans (a 2000 percent increase compared to 2019) and 150 Iranians (a 650 percent increase) were denied entry, according to district administration figures.

"Since January, we have seen a lot of Afghans and Iranians," asserts one of the administrators at the Rovoj Solidere Asylum Center, Alan Moshe.

The number of immigrants appears to be declining, as the rate of refusal to enter the national territory has decreased by 60 percent since the height of the migration wave in 2018. 

- Humanitarian workers and police under pressure -

Rousseau of the "Tus Migran" organization denounced "intimidation techniques" used by the security forces, such as "vehicle surveillance, numerous searches, and heavy fines" against immigrants his association handles.

"The police understand that immigrants are not criminals," says National Police Union Administrative Secretary Vincent Guillermin. He adds that about 60 policemen have to face the pressure exerted on them by "the daily presence of activists from all sides."

European Representative Damian Karim denounced the "pressure exerted on the security forces," which he attributed to "the government that wants to win the votes of the extreme right."

The Republic Prosecutor in the city of Gap Florent Croy responded by saying that "In 2020, my office did not receive any complaint against the police or gendarmes due to police violence or any other offense."

"The absolute priority is to combat people who illegally bring foreigners into France, not those who receive them in France," he added.

Two smugglers, aged 28 and 31, suspected of helping migrants cross the border, will be tried on 22 April in Ghab, the epicenter of the Haut-Alpes region. A person accused of assisting in the illegal entry of a foreigner faces a five-year prison sentence and a fine of 30,000 euros.

Last year, 78 smugglers were arrested in Haut-Alpes, compared to 30 in 2019, 31 in 2018, 34 in 2017 and six in 2016.

Since the passage of the Asylum and Immigration Law in 2018, assistance with mobility has ceased to be a crime if this assistance is for an exclusively humanitarian purpose.