- Home Office Plans to House Migrants in Tents on Military Bases Criticized as “Shocking” and “Cruel”
- Government Faces Backlash Over Proposed Use of Marquees for Asylum Seekers
- Bibby Stockholm Vessel Prepares to House Asylum Seekers Amid Safety Concerns and Protests
Border Force expects that small boat movement will peak in the next three months, similar to previous year.
A top refugee charity called the home secretary’s plan to put thousands of refugees in tents on disused military facilities “shocking” and “cruel.
In anticipation of a rise in Channel crossings, shelters will be built in the following weeks.
Ms. Braverman wants to end the £6 million-a-day cost of asylum seekers staying in hotels.
Tim Nao Hilton, chief executive officer of Refugee Action, said it was “staggering” that Ms. Braverman was proceeding with the plans after it was reported by The Times that a government source compared it to the use of concentration camps.
As standards continue to fall, the Home Office’s asylum housing contractors will reap tens of millions of pounds in taxpayer-subsidized profits from this cruel scheme, he said.
This is yet another method the government has created to demonize asylum-seekers. Which is anchored in its profoundly racist approach to refugee protection.
Our communities should give safe housing to victims of violence, torture, and persecution.
Mohammed Fahim, a community volunteer, stated that migrants are being treated as “second-class citizens,” adding, “Let’s treat them as human beings instead of animals.”
One asylum claimant from Eritrea who was staying in a hotel in the Midlands offered a different viewpoint.
Jossy stated that he would “still have come” to the United Kingdom even if it meant staying in a tent.
He added that his present living quarters were “very nice when compared to our home country.”
The charity’s condemnation follows the High Court’s ruling that the Home Office’s “routine” housing of unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels was illegal.
The Times, which covers marquees, reported that Border Force anticipates small boat excursions to be busiest in three months.
A Home Office source told the newspaper, “It’s obvious we can’t be in a position where we have to book expensive hotels for migrants on the fly again.”
“There is nothing improper with this type of impermanent housing when required. Other nations employ it as well.”
A government spokesperson told, “We have made it clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable. Currently, over 51,000 asylum seekers are housed in hotels for £6 million per day to the UK taxpayer.
“We continue to collaborate across government and with local governments to examine a variety of housing options.
The mandatory housing provided to asylum seekers satisfies our legal and contractual requirements.
The Labour Party was also questioned if it would use hotels or tents like the Home Office.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, stated that the party wished to “end hotel use” and that “we shouldn’t need all of these additional things.”
“We must reduce the [asylum] backlog,” she said. Therefore, we have presented these proposals with a five-point plan.
This is not the first time the government has used tents to shelter asylum seekers. Last fall, several tents were erected at the Manston processing center to accommodate an influx of newcomers.
Alternative accommodation choices like tents minimise the expense of sheltering asylum seekers.
The High Court banned protests at a Llanelli, Carmarthenshire hotel housing 241 asylum seekers on Thursday.
This comes after Carmarthenshire County Council’s own High Court injunction attempt to provisionally halt the plans failed on July 7.
A Whitehall source told that the first asylum seekers will board the controversial Bibby Stockholm vessel on Tuesday.
500 single men will join the ship in Portland Port, Dorset, in the following months.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is trying to “stop the boats” amid a record backlog and tens of thousands of unauthorised Channel crossings.
However, refugee charities have stated that the use of such sites is detrimental to the requirements of vulnerable people and has raised safety concerns regarding migrants.
Local services in their constituencies, such as law enforcement and healthcare, have also alarmed Conservative representatives of areas where the facilities are being established, such as police and healthcare.
Protesters met the Bibby Stockholm when it arrived in Portland Port on Tuesday, a month late after repairs.
Some residents have expressed concerns about their safety on the 13,000-person island and argued that it lacks the infrastructure to accommodate both newcomers and existing residents.
A Home Office official said the Bibby Stockholm is in Portland after its statutory inspection and refit.
The barge is finalising preparations to comply with all standards before the first asylum seekers arrive in the coming weeks.
