French police evicted more than 1,000 migrants from two makeshift camps in the north-east of Paris on Thursday. The action follows the French government's tightening of immigration policies.

Officers escorted refugees and migrants on to coaches, which transported them to emergency accommodation, including gyms and reception centers. France's interior minister, Christophe Castaner, said they would be held at these sites, while their asylum claims are processed.

However, given many of these migrants are without paperwork and unable to secure permanent accommodation, refugee charities such as Utopia 56 are concerned those evicted will end up on the streets again.

The camps, which were located in the Porte de la Chapelle and Seine-Saint Denis areas of the French capital, were mainly populated with men, mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

Thousands had been living in tents for months, in conditions deemed appalling by several charities. They complained of poor sanitation, no access to running water and areas infested with rats.

Since the closure of the Calais camp in 2016, many migrants have relocated to Paris to seek refugee. But following the announcement of a raft of new immigration measures on Wednesday, Castaner, said: "In addition, we cannot accept the dangerous and unhealthy conditions of some migrant camps." He added that police would dismantle all camps in the north of Paris by the end of the year.

Over the past four years, more than 30 makeshift camps have been cleared in Paris.

Paris police chief Didier Lallement told reporters he "will no longer tolerate these installations by the roadside here or anywhere else on public spaces in Paris."

However, the move drew criticism from the city's socialist mayor, Anne Hidalgo, who claimed the French government has continuously failed to help the thousands sleeping rough in the city.

The country's president, Emmanuel Macron, has been under pressure to tackle the issue of immigration, largely due to the growing popularity of far-right groups such as Marine Le Pen's National Rally party. Le Pen is seen as Macron's main political rival ahead of the 2022 presidential election.

On Wednesday, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the government will begin setting quotas for migrant workers from next year and place restrictions on migrants bringing family members to the country.

This follows the release of data showing the number of asylum requests hit a record 122,743 last year – a 22 percent increase on the previous year.