In an unusual twist, Paris’s historic Gaîté Lyrique theater has become a temporary home for more than 300 homeless African migrants. These individuals are holding out for a crucial decision: proving they are minors to gain access to housing and government benefits.

The theater, known for its rich cultural history and past performances by icons like Jacques Offenbach, is now the stage for a very different kind of drama. Migrants sleep on the floors at night, waiting for French officials to determine their legal status. In France, being recognized as an unaccompanied minor opens the door to essential support systems, including shelter.

This occupation is organized by the Belleville Park Youth Collective, a group of immigrants and left-wing activists. Since 2023, they’ve led similar takeovers in smaller venues, successfully pressuring officials to secure 800 shelter spots for young people. However, the Paris city government claims it’s out of available space and has already ruled that many of these migrants are not underage, leaving them in limbo as they appeal to courts.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, European countries are required to provide special protections—like housing—to immigrant minors. But proving age has become a contentious issue, especially as anti-immigrant sentiment fuels the rise of far-right parties across Europe.

“This is a huge issue in Europe,” said a sociologist who studies young immigrants, highlighting the broader challenges faced by these vulnerable groups.

As the drama unfolds in the Gaîté Lyrique, hundreds of lives hang in the balance, waiting for a ruling that could change their futures.