- Asylum Seekers Enter Controversial Bibby Stockholm Accommodation Amid Protests
- Challenges Faced in Accommodating Asylum Seekers on the Barge
- Government’s Alternative Accommodation Approach Faces Opposition and Criticism
As the first group of asylum seekers entered the controversial Bibby Stockholm accommodation, protesters congregated at Portland Port in Dorset.
According to the Home Office, the first 15 asylum seekers have now boarded the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge. But the government was unable to accommodate an additional 20 individuals.
After weeks of delays, 50 people were scheduled to board the ship in Portland Port, Dorset, on Monday.
The director of asylum accommodation at the Home Office, Cheryl Avery, stated that the first “cohort” had been “successfully onboarded” despite “some challenges.”
She said individuals on the barge will stay for three to nine months while their claims are processed.
The Bibby Stockholm is one of several alternative sites being utilized by the Home Office to end its reliance on costly hotels for asylum applicants, which the government estimates costs £6 million per day.
The ground is opposed due of concerns about asylum seekers’ wellbeing and local services.
On Monday, protesters congregated at Portland Harbour with welcome packs containing toiletries and contact information for organizations that assist migrants.
Care4Calais asserted that it prevented approximately 20 asylum seekers from various locations, including those with disabilities. Those who have endured traumatic sea crossings, and victims of torture and modern enslavement, from boarding the barge.
The charity stated that it will continue working with asylum seekers who do not wish to be relocated.
Ms. Avery said she couldn’t discuss individual legal situations but said barge lodging was “no-choice.”
She would not confirm when the Bibby Stockholm would reach its maximum capacity of 500 passengers. But she did say that a “phased and controlled approach” would be adopted.
The 222-bedroom barge will eventually accommodate 500 single males, with the number expected to progressively increase over time.
Due to safety concerns, there have been delays in relocating people to the site. With the Fire Brigades Union labeling it a “potential death trap” and warning of overcrowding.
Downing Street suggested that Sarah Dines, minister of the Home Office, misspoke when she stated earlier on Monday that the accommodation could reach capacity by the end of the week.
In response to a question about the remark, the official spokesman for the prime minister stated, “I don’t believe we intend to reach that number by the weekend.”
Ms. Dines told that the barge “sends a strong message” that people who cross the Channel will be housed in “proper… but not luxurious” accommodations, alleging that hotels are part of the “pull” factor that attracts people to the United Kingdom.
Currently, hotels house 50,000 asylum-seekers.
The arrival of people on the barge coincided with the publication of government data indicating that the number of asylum seekers residing in taxpayer-funded hotels had risen to more than 50,000.
Labour contrasted this with Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s December estimate of 40,000 people in the housing.
As of 30 June 2023, a total of 50,546 individuals were being housed in hotels.
This follows Rishi Sunak’s January pledge to “stop the boats.” In December of the previous year, he asserted in the House of Commons that his administration had “already identified locations that could accommodate 10,000 people” and was planning to locate more.
After 339 people crossed the English Channel on Friday and Saturday, no one did on Sunday because to poor weather.
The latest data shows 15,071 visitors thus far in 2023, 15% fewer than last year.
However, this is a substantial increase from the 10,703 arrivals that had been recorded at this point in 2021.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, stated, “Rishi Sunak is failing to fix the Tories’ boat chaos. And the Conservatives are flailing around chasing headlines instead of gaining control.”
A barge is redolent of Victorian-era prison hulks.
Amnesty International UK’s director of refugee and migrant rights, Steve Valdez-Symonds, stated, “It appears the government will do anything to make asylum-seekers feel unwelcome and insecure in this country.
“Refugees fleeing terror, bloodshed, and persecution are shamefully housed in Bibby Stockholm and Victorian prison hulks.”
He added that “rather than destroying the asylum system,” the government should “decide people’s claims fairly and efficiently. Rather than perpetuating costly backlogs, human misery, and organized criminal exploitation.”
In addition to the barge, the government plans to shelter individuals in military sites and tents.
If the long-discussed Rwanda deportation plan fails to materialize, multiple reports indicate that the government is also reconsidering its plans. For a processing center on the South Atlantic island of Ascension.
Ms. Dines, Home Office minister, said the government was “considering all options.”
She stated on Monday morning that “times change” and that the small boats crisis had become “urgent” when asked why the plan was purportedly being reconsidered after Boris Johnson’s former government appeared to have rejected it.
Downing Street also declined to comment on the “speculation” and expressed confidence that its plan to deport individuals to the East African nation will be upheld in court.
This week is an unofficial “small boats week” in which the government will discuss its efforts to curb the number of persons crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Labour’s Ms. Cooper added: “The prime minister admitted last December that hotel use was a serious problem and promised to end it. However, since then, hotel use has increased by a truly shocking 25 percent. More asylum hotels are still opening, and the taxpayer must pay billions of pounds more as a result.”
Tory mismanagement caused this by failing to speed up asylum decisions or remove the record-breaking backlog.
