After 7 years of commitment to migrants in Gard, the Association for Migrants of Nîmes announces its definitive closure. In cessation of payment, it requests its judicial liquidation. Its founder and director was fired. What future for support for foreigners in Nîmes?
It is a page that is turning for support for migrants in Gard. After seven years of unwavering commitment to the rights of foreigners, the Association for Migrants of Nîmes, better known by its acronym “AMI”, has just announced its definitive closure. A hard blow for those who saw it as a pillar of aid to immigrant populations in the region.
Founded in 2017, AMI’s mission was to support and defend the rights of migrants in the department. Administrative assistance, legal support, French lessons, the association has never stopped working to facilitate the integration of those from elsewhere. Shadow work, often unknown to the general public, but so essential for men and women in search of a better future.
An untenable financial situation
Unfortunately, despite the self-sacrifice of its volunteers and employees, AMI has not managed to overcome its financial difficulties. “We are in cessation of payments and are requesting judicial liquidation,” declared with emotion the founder and director of the association. A bitter observation which sounds like an admission of failure, despite all the efforts made.
The reasons for this shipwreck are multiple. Reduction in public subsidies, reduction in private donations, increase in charges… AMI has had to face an increasingly unfavorable situation in recent years. “We tried everything to get out of it, but the situation became untenable,” confides a member of the board of directors. The Covid-19 crisis was the final blow for an already weakened structure.
What future for migrants in Nîmes?
Beyond the human drama experienced by employees and volunteers, some of whom now find themselves unemployed, the whole question of supporting migrants in Nîmes arises. Who will take over from AMI and continue to defend their rights? Who can help them with their often complex administrative procedures? Who can extend a fraternal hand to them in an increasingly hostile world?
Some fear that the disappearance of AMI will leave a big void in the local associative landscape. “It was a bit of a beacon in the night for many foreigners lost in the twists and turns of the French administration,” says a migrant who has benefited from the association’s help in the past. A lighthouse that has just gone out, leaving many boats adrift.
A call for solidarity
Faced with this worrying situation, the region’s associative and political actors are launching a call for solidarity. “It is imperative that we mobilize collectively so that support for migrants can continue despite the closure of AMI,” insists an association leader. A call heard by the municipality which promises to study “all possible avenues” to maintain a range of services for foreigners.
But beyond declarations of intent, what is expected is a real citizen upheaval. “We all have some responsibility for what happens. It’s up to us to roll up our sleeves and build new forms of solidarity,” insists an AMI volunteer. Because if the association disappears, the migration issue remains more relevant than ever in Nîmes as elsewhere.
“AMI leaves a big void but it is up to all of us to fill it by showing humanity and brotherhood towards those who have left everything to find refuge with us.”
A vibrant call that resonates as evidence in these troubled times. The closure of AMI is not an end in itself but a new beginning. That of a collective awareness of our duty of hospitality and solidarity towards migrants.
It is time for mourning but also and above all for reflection to invent new forms of commitment to those who need us. Because welcoming the stranger, extending our hand, is ultimately to reaffirm our own humanity. An immense challenge but within our reach. It’s up to us to take it up, together, beyond the disappearance of AMI.
