(CNN) -- Police in northern France moved in Wednesday on makeshift migrant camps near the port of Calais, prompting a standoff with the defiant residents -- many of whom have fled conflicts in Syria, Sudan and Eritrea. By late afternoon, a CNN producer observed that the migrants' tents had all been destroyed. One activist told CNN police were responsible. About a dozen police officers remained, along with 50 to 60 migrants who didn't know where to go. A local prefect reportedly told the migrants they can stay at the camp until Thursday. But Thursday is Ascension Day, a public holiday, so it's not clear if the migrants will be cleared out before Friday.
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NEW: Camps appear dismantled, but about 50 to 60 migrants remain at one
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Police are trying to shift migrants from makeshift camps near Calais
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The migrants don't want to leave, won't take steps to tackle a scabies outbreak, authorities say
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Calais is a magnet for migrants seeking to reach Britain or claim asylum in France
Adt said the makeshift camp where he is located housed about 600 people, roughly half of them @placeholder, and between 200 and 300 Eritrean and Sudanese.